Mercy Me
by tiffanyrebecca7
Summary: Number Eight, The Elixir, Katherine Hargreeves. She was the healer, the heart, the glue of the family. But when Reginald Hargreeves dies, can she glue back together the broken pieces of her family, or will the pieces be too scattered and shattered to heal? Diego/OC
1. Moments

On the 12th hour of the first day of October 1989, 43 women around the world gave birth. This was unusual only in the fact that none of these women had been pregnant when the day first began. Sir Reginald Hargreeves, eccentric billionaire and adventurer, resolved to locate and adopt as many of the children as possible.

HE GOT EIGHT.

Katherine stood in front of the mirrored wall of her small studio room, fiddling with the old sound system. She had been doing so for nearly fifteen minutes and was ready to give up and just dance without the music. The music suddenly blasted through the speakers, startling her. She laughed quietly before starting the song over and standing in the center of the room. Her well-worn pointe shoes glided across the floor, and she fluidly performed as if she had been born to do so. She had never performed for a crowd, but she had the skill and talent to if she ever had the opportunity. As the song ended, she closed her eyes and stuck her final position, taking a moment to bask in the silence and calm of the moment. Living in a boxing gym meant that there weren't many opportunities like this one, so she savored them when they presented themselves.

The thing that broke her out of her peaceful state was someone placing a gentle hand on either of her hips. She opened her eyes and smiled at the man behind her through the mirror. Katherine turned slowly in his arms, placing one hand on his chest and the other gently on his cheek. "Hi." She said quietly.

He smiled back at her, thrilled just to have her back in his embrace. "Hey there, gorgeous. I came in and saw you weren't in the room. Figured I'd find you in here."

"You figured right. How was patrol tonight? Take down any bad guys?" She teased.

"As a matter of fact, I did. But there's, uh, there's some news. I didn't want you to find out from anyone else, so I c-came back as soon as I f-f-found out." He said, looking down and trying his hardest to avoid her eyes.

She scrunched her brows and gently pulled his face to look at her. "Hey, Diego. You can tell me. Just breathe. Focus, okay?" She reassured him.

Diego Hargreeves took a deep breath before finally getting enough surety to tell her without stuttering. "It's Dad, Kat. He's dead."

Kat took a shakey breath and nodded stiffly. Their father had been a monster, but he was still their father. She looked up at Diego with a small smile. "I guess it's time for a family reunion." She joked, halfheartedly.

His smile mirrored her own, and he wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, knowing that even if she hated the old man, she was still sentimental about family. "Come on, Kit-kat, let's get some rest. It's a little past two, and we need to get to bed. We're gonna need all the rest we can get before we go back home."

"Home. God, I don't think I'm ready. We haven't been there since we were eighteen. I don't know if I'm ready to face all the memories that place holds." She admitted.

"I mean, they aren't all bad. You've got memories with me. And Klaus." He reminded her. He pulled back just enough to kiss her nose, causing her to laugh quietly.

"You're right about that. If nothing else, that old bastard gave me my family. He gave me you. And that's worth more than anything else the man ever did." She said, her forehead pressed gently against his.

He swept her up and held her bridal style, easily holding her in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he quickly went over to the stereo, stopping long enough for her to turn it off, then the lights, before he closed the door behind them and headed to their room. Once they made it in he placed her carefully on the bed and kneeled in front of her. His fingers worked quickly as he untied the ribbon on her shoes and unwrapped it from her legs, then removed them. He placed them on the dresser along with his knife harness, before stripping into his boxers and climbing into bed with Kat.

"Goodnight, beautiful."

"Goodnight, love."

Almost a week later, the pair lay in bed just trying to prepare themselves for the shitstorm that was sure to occur. Neither wanted to leave the warm embrace of the other, but they knew that they would have to get ready to go some time.

"I'll give you twenty bucks to stab me if it gives us an excuse not to have to go." Kat offered, breaking the silence of the room.

Diego laughed heartily at the woman's words, holding her even closer. "One, you know I could never hurt you. Two, you would just heal. So no dice."

"I could stab you instead." She mused.

"You know what? Go fuck yourself." He said, laughing.

"Fuck me yourself you damn coward." She said, a huge smile across her face as she laughed.

Their voices mingled together in the otherwise quiet morning air, both of them thankful for the moment of happiness. The moment of calm before the storm.

When they arrived at the Academy, Diego and Katherine were unsurprised to see that no one had come to greet them. Rather than try to find them, they decided to go talk to the person they missed most.

"Mom." Diego said with a smile as he approached her.

Kat followed closely behind, allowing him to take the lead and greet the woman first.

"Diego, Katherine, it's so lovely to see you both. And together. I'm so glad you stayed together after you left." Grace said with a pleasant but empty smile.

Something was off about the way she was acting, but Kat chalked it up to her needing to recharge. She took Diego's hand and pulled him to the kitchen, where she grabbed a glass and filled it with water. "Something is... wrong. Off. Not just with mom, but with the entire feel of the house. It's almost like a crushing weight like something bad is gonna happen. The energy is off."

Diego watched her carefully as she took a long drink of her water, her body obviously tense. Kat was always such a calm and sensible person, which made it strange to see her so on edge. He slowly approached her, taking the glass from her hands and placing it on the table. He gently grasped her biceps, looking her in the eyes.

"Hey, baby, calm down. It's your nerves. You know how your power makes everything seem heightened. The energy is just amped up right now because we know we're going to have to deal with everyone. Remember what we practiced. Focus on something that makes you happy and calm. Deep breaths."

Kat focused on him, taking deep breaths and looking deep into his eyes. She nodded, he was right. Her nerves had a tendency to amp up her powers, and throw the energy off.

When she calmed down enough, Diego took her hand. "Come on. Let's go see where everyone else is." He suggested.

She nodded, a small smile on her face. "Ok. Sounds like a good plan."

And it was, until she heard one particular voice. They entered the main foyer to see Allison hugging someone they were rather surprised to see.

"Vanya."


	2. Up In Flames

Vanya and Allison looked over to see Diego walking through with Kat in tow.

"Ah. What is she doing here? You don't belong here. Not after what you did." Diego asked,walking past them.

"You're seriously gonna do this today?" Allison snapped. "Way to dress for the occasion, by the way."

"At least I'm wearing black." Diego bit back.

Vanya grabbed Kat's arm, stopping her in her tracks.

"It's good to see you, Katherine." Vanya said quietly, attempting a smile.

Katherine plastered a fake smile on her face and ripped her arm from her estranged sister's grasp. "Is it? I distinctly recall you saying in your book that I was "simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up.". That was a good insult, V. Come up with that all by yourself?"

Vanya and Allison both stood with looks of shock and awe on their faces.

"Listen, Kat, I didn't me-" Vanya tried.

Kat quickly cut her off. "No. You know what? Save it for someone who cares enough to hear it. I know where I really stand with you, Vanya."

She quickly made her way up the stairs to find Diego. She stuck her head in a few rooms before hearing voices come from another room. Dad's room.

"There is no mystery here. Nothing to avenge. Nothing to solve, nothing like that. It's just a sad old man who kicked it in a big, empty house. Just like he deserved." Diego's voice rang through.

"You should leave." Luther said to his brother as Kat appeared in the doorway.

"Whatever you say, brother." Diego said, turning to see her standing there. "Come on, gorgeous. Looks like Number One doesn't want us around."

Luther spun to look at the woman in the doorway, shock evident on his face. Rather than greet him, she made a move to grab Diego's hand and pulled him away.

Silently she led him away from the room, towards her old one. She hadn't been in there for years, so it was almost like she was sixteen again, dragging Diego behind her as she snuck him into her room.

She opened the door and sighed. Everything looked exactly the same as it had the day they left. Diego pulled her to him, her back flush against his chest and his arms around her waist. "A lot of memories in this room." He whispered in her ear before kissing her neck.

She gave a breathy laugh and pulled away from him so that she could sit on her bed. "Surprisingly good ones." She said as he sat beside her.

After a few moments of silence, he nudged her shoulder with his own. "Hey. How ya feeling?" He asked.

"Better. I think you were right about the nerves and stuff. It helps keeping my mind on good stuff though." She admitted, laying back.

He did the same, pulling her closer so that her head was on his chest and his arm was around her shoulders. They stayed in that position in comfortable silence, Kat drawing nondescript patterns on Diego's chest with her finger.

They were interrupted by the voice of Allison in the doorway. "Hey. Uh, sorry to bother you guys but Luther sent me up to gather everyone. We're gonna start." She expained before quickly walking away.

Kat sighed deeply and sat up. "Come on. Let's get this over with."

They walked downstairs, hand in hand, ready to face the hellfire that was about to be set loose. They shuffled to the side of the room, waiting for Luther to start talking. Diego sat down before pulling her gently onto his lap.

"Um - I guess we should get this started." Luther finally announced. "So, I figured we could have a sort of memorial service in the courtyard at sundown. Say a few words, just at Dad's favorite spot."

"Dad had a favorite spot?" Allison voiced what they were all thinking.

"You know, under the oak tree. We used to sit out there all the time. None of you ever did that?" Luther asked in genuine surprise.

"Are you shitting me? Dad hated us. We were lucky if he even talked to us other than to bark orders or berate us." Kat scoffed.

"Will there be refreshments? Tea? Scones? Cucumber sandwiches are always a winner." Klaus asked, causing Kat to smirk. She hadn't seen him since they had dropped him off at rehab, and she had undeniably missed him.

"What? No. And put that out. Dad didn't allow smoking in here." Luther barked.

"Is that my skirt?" Allison asked in sudden realization.

"What? Oh, yeah, this. I found it in your room. It's a little dated, I know, but it's very breathey on the bits." Klaus said, smiling all the while.

"Listen up. Still some important things that we need to discuss, all right?" Luther decided to butt in, causing Diego to sigh.

"Like what?" The man demanded, his thumb rubbing circles on Kat's hip.

"Like the way he died."

"And here we go."

"I don't understand. I thought they said it was a heart attack." Vanya finally spoke up.

"Yeah, according to the coroner."

"Well, wouldn't they know?"

"Theoretically."

"Theoretically?" Allison said dubiously.

"I'm just saying, at the very least, something happened. The last time that I talked to Dad, he sounded strange."

"Oh, quelle surprise!" Klaus said as he gargled his drink.

"Strange how?" Allison pressed.

"He sounded on edge. Told me I should be careful who to trust." Luther said, looking around the room.

Diego tapped Kat's hip, and she stood so that he could do the same as he spoke. "Luther, he was a paranoid, bitter old man who was starting to lose what was left of his marbles."

"No. He must have known something was going to happen." he looked at Klaus, who seemed rather disinterested. "Look, I know you don't like to do it, but I need you to talk to Dad."

"I can't just call Dad in the afterlife and be like, "Dad, could you just stop playing tennis with Hitler for a moment and take a quick call?"." Klaus said dismissively.

"Since when? That's your thing."

"I'm not in the right frame of mind."

"You're high?" Allison practically screeched.

Klaus laughed loudly. "Yeah! Yeah! I mean, how are you not, listening to this nonsense?"

"Well, sober up, this is important."

"Hey, lay off him!" Kat snapped at her siblings.

"Then there's the issue - of the missing monocle." Luther says, dismissing the woman.

"Who gives a shit about a stupid monocle?" Diego asked, now pissed that Luther was pressing this so much.

"Exactly. It's worthless. So whoever took it, I think it was personal. Someone close to him.Someone with a grudge."

"Where are you going with this?" Klaus groaned.

"Oh, isn't it obvious, Klaus? He thinks one of us killed Dad." Diego accused.

"And I'm pretty sure he suspects me most of all. I mean, heart attack, right Number One? Seems a little too easy." Kat practically growled.

"You do?" Klaus asked, pissed that Luther would think so low of his most precious sibling.

"How could you think that?" Vanya asked.

"Great job, Luther. Way to lead." Diego bit.

"That's not what I'm saying." Luther attempted to redact his statement.

"You're crazy, man. You're crazy."


	3. Follow Where You Lead

**FLASHBACK**

"In five, four, three, two This is Jim Hellerman, reporting live for Channel 2 News outside of the Capital West bank at Main and Sixth. A group of heavily armed men stormed the bank not three hours ago and took an unknown number of hostages."

"Okay, so here's the plan. One, you'll drop in from the roof. Two, you'll wait until you hear him. Three, make sure you Rumor one so that he shoots his friend, but make it nonlethal. I don't fancy doing any unnecessary or excessive healing. Five, you come in with Three but stay hidden until the time is right. You'll know when that is. Six, you and Four will stick with me. If things get choppy, we'll have to send you in. Otherwise, lets keep you guys out of the line of fire."

Katherine had been the unofficial leader of the group for this mission, much to Luther's chagrin. Therefore, she was making her best effort to keep everyone safe and informed.

"Are we ready?" She asked, looking at the others who simply nodded. "Great. Let's get this show on the road."

Allison, Diego, Kat, Ben, Five, and Klaus all made their way in, waiting for their moment to intervene came.

"Hey, get them behind the counter!" One of the men yelled. Allison looked back to Kat for confirmation, and the girl gave her a nod.

"Now you've put me in a position where I gotta do something I don't want to do. Hmm? Shit! Hey, get back with the others." He said, finally realizing that Allison had approached him.

"I heard a rumor." She taunted.

"What? What did you say?"

"Iheard a rumor that you shot your friend in the foot."

Sure enough, the man's eyes clouded over and he did exactly what Allison had rumored him to do.

Chaos quickly broke out at the other armed robbers began to clammer for cover. Luther dropped through the ceiling, causing glass to fly everywhere, and people to scream. Kat tapped Diego on the arm signaling for him to make his entrance.

He ran in without hesitation, pulling out his weapons. "Guns are for sissies. Real men throw knives!" He yelled before throwing and curving his blades.

Almost all of the men had been dealt with, so Kat felt that it was safe to bring her brothers out to watch the events unfold. She took Ben's left hand and Klaus's right, leading them out.

One man stood on the counter with his gun shaking in his hand as the siblings surrounded him. "Get back, you freaks."

"Hey, be careful up there, buddy." Diego called.

"Get back now!"

"Wouldn't want you to get hurt." Kat snickered.

"Or what?" Five asked, suddenly appearing behing the man. In the blink of an eye, he had spatial jumped to the opposite side. Five smirked as the man went to hold up his gun, which had been traded out for a stapler. "Ooh! That's one badass stapler!"

Five slammed the office supply against the guy's head, effectively knocking him out.

Katherine looked up at him proudly as he jumped down. Luther cleared his throat loudly, causing her to look over at him as he jerked his head towards the vault. Kat sighed in understanding and looked at Ben.

"I know you hate doing it. But it's a necessity. I wouldn't ask you to do it if it wasn't." Kat said, squeezing the boy's hand.

"Do we really have to do this?" He asked the others.

"Come on, Ben. There's more guys in the vault." Luther reminded.

"I didn't sign up for this." He sighed and let go of Kat's hand, entering the room.

Within moments, they could hear the Beast screaming, as well as every bad guy inside. Ben came back out, covered in gore and breathing heavily. "Can we go home now?"

Kat gave a sympathetic smile. "Dad wants us to go face the public first. Klaus, will you go help Ben clean up a bit?"

Klaus nodded and gladly went to the bathroom with Ben.

"Right, then. Is anyone hurt?" The girl asked.

Luther stepped forward and held out his hand, which had a sizeable piece of glass in it. "Think you could help me out?" He asked, seemingly embarrassed.

Kat simply nodded and got to work, letting her power flow through her fingertips into him. Within seconds, it was like the wound had never been there in the first place.

"Thank you." He said quietly.

She nodded and stepped back silently. A few minutes of awkward silence passed and finally Klaus and Ben returned. Luther proudly stepped forward and led them out the doors, Katherine dejectedly taking her place in the back of the line. When they made it out the door, she plastered on a brilliant artificial smile and put a bounce in her step. They came to a stop, where she stood beside Ben who was still mildly tinged with red.

There were reporters yelling questions so loudly that she could barely hear herself think, and it was doing her nerves in. Diego stood behind her and could feel the energy coming off of her in waves. He put a subtle hand on her shoulder and Ben leaned into her side. The energy seemed to subside a bit, and she found it easier to focus.

"Jim Hellerman, Channel 2 News. How did you get in the bank?"

"What happened inside?"

Reginald Hargreeves joined his young wards in order to introduce them to the public officially. "Our world is changing. Has changed. There are some among us gifted with abilities far beyond the ordinary. I have adopted six such children. I give you the inaugural class of the Umbrella Academy."

"Mr. Hargreeves! Mr.Hargreeves. Channel 9 News. What happened to their parents?"

"They were suitably compensated."

"Are you concerned about the welfare of the children?"

"Of course. As I am for the fate of the world."

**_A.N.- I know this is a bit shorter than the other chapters, but I thought it was the most natural place to cut it off. The next chapter should be longer in order to make up for it!! Xoxx_**


	4. Homecoming

Diego followed Kat as she stormed into the foyer.

"He's got a lot of nerve coming in here and accusing us of shit." She fumed.

Diego sighed and wrapped her in a tight embrace. "I know, Kat. I'm pissed too. But let's just try to get through this stupid funeral, and then you and me can disappear again." He said, placing a kiss on the crown of her head.

She relaxed into his hold, sighing deeply. "Fine. But I'm still pissed off at Luther." She grumbled, causing Diego to chuckle.

"Fine by me, baby girl."

Vanya walked in, her steps faltering when she saw the couple. "Oh, I-I'm sorry. I didn't realize..." she trailed off.

Kat's jaw clenched as Vanya spoke.

"We're just leaving. C'mon, Kat." Diego said in a clipped tone before pulling Katherine along with him.

The entered the now empty living area and Diego flopped onto the couch, pulling Kat down as well. She laughed as she landed on top of him, one hand over his heart and the other on his cheek.

She leaned in close, her lips ghosting over his with the slightest of touches before something caught her attention. From upstairs, muffled but still audible, she could hear a familiar song playing.

"Running just as fast as we can Holdin' on to one another's hand." She sang along with a huge grin. Katherine Hargreeves quickly stood up and held out a hand to the man on the couch in front of her.

He took and stood, then walked away towards the doors. She frowned at the action- he had never denied dancing with her before.

He stopped, looking around to make sure no one was around to interrupt, then closed the doors. He turned around to face her and smiled in pure joy as he approached her.

The music echoed through the house, allowing them to get lost in the lyrics and the beat. "There doesn't seem to be anyone around I think we're alone now The beating of our hearts Is the only sound."

Diego and Katherine twirled and danced like crazy people, laughing all the while. For a few moments, it was as if nothing could touch them. Not Luthers accusations, not Vanya's harsh and cruel words, not even neing in the house that bore so many unpleasant memories. For a few moments they were truly happy.

But as we know, all good things must come to an end, however abrupt that ending may be.

Thunder rumbled loudly, causing the music to stop, glass to shatter, and Kat to grab Diego's arm fearfully.

"Come on. You're safe with me. We need to see what the hell that was." He assured her, taking her hand and pulling her along.

They made it outside to see a huge blue light of some sort just floating in the courtyard.

"Holy shit." Katherine yelled from behind Diego.

"Looks like some sort of temporal anomaly. Either that or a miniature black hole. One of the two." Luther yelled over the roar.

"Pretty big difference there, Paul Bunyan." Diego replied.

"Out of the way!" Klaus yelled, running throughwith a fire extinguisherin his hands. He tried to deploy it, and when that didn't work he threw it into the anomoly.

"What are you -" Luther started in confusion.

"What is that gonna do?" Allison cried out.

"I don't know. Do you have a better idea?" Klaus countered.

Electricity crackled, and Luther didnt hesitate to push Klaus behind him to stand beside Kat. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Everybody get behind me."

"Yeah, get behind us." Diego agreed, keeping a hand laced with one of Kat's.

"I vote for running, c'mon!" Klaus yelled, taking Kat's other hand.

Electricity crackled again, eliciting screams from over half of the siblings. The thunder faded, the blue light disappeared, and in it's place was a young boy no older than fifteen. He was wearing a suit that was far too big for him and he was a bit dirty from the landing, but there was no denying the boy's identity.

"Does anyone else see little Number Five, or is that just me?" Klaus asked.

"Shit." Five said simply.

Katherine pushed her way to the front of her siblings, a look of shock plastered on her face. Her jaw was ever so slightly dropped and she had tears welling in her eyes. Five met her gaze and she gasped quietly. His eyes had changed. He may have looked the same physically, but his eyes held the pain and knowledge of a man who had seen things the average person could never even comprehend.

"Five?" She asked, hoping to confirm that she was not in fact hallucinating.

"Hey, K." He said, his voice cracking with emotion.

The damn broke and Katherine fell to her knees in front him. He didn't allow himself to cry. Instead he sank to his knees in front of her and hugged her tightly. "It's really me, K. I'm back. I made it back to you. Just like I promised." He whispered to her.

She sobbed harder, clutching to his too-big jacket like he might disappear again any second.

The other siblings decided that the moment was far too personal and intimate for them to intrude, so they migrated to the kitchen, waiting silently for the pair to join them.

It was a full three minutes before Katherine had collected herself enough to speak coherently. "Where were you?"

"I think that's something that I should discuss with everyone at once. But I promise that you and I will talk about everything. Soon." He assured her.

He allowed her to calm down for another few minutes before pulling her to her feet and looking up at her. It was funny, not only did he look up to her, but now he had to look up at her. He held out a gentlemanly arm for her to take, giving her a smile that, for the first time in years, actually reached his eyes. She wiped her face of any remaining tears and took his arm.

"Fair warning, nothing has changed since you left. Well, maybe it's gotten a little worse. But you catch my drift." She said with a frown.

Five simply chuckled and soldiered forward. "Trust me, I'm prepared for anything."

As soon as they entered the kitchen, all eyes were on them. Klaus was sitting on the table cross-legged, and the others sat in the chairs around him. Kat detached herself and made a beeline for Diego, who awaited her with open arms. She stood beside his seat, her arm around his shoulders, his around her waist.

Five sighed, looking at his siblings before grabbing the bread from the counter. "What's the date? The exact date."

"The 24th." Vanya said quietly.

"Of what?"

"March."

"Good."

"So, are we gonna talk about what just happened? It's been 17 years."Luther demanded, blocking Five's path to the pantry.

The boy simply scoffed before spatial jumping around him. "It's been a lot longer than that."

"I haven't missed that."

"Where'd you go?" Kat reiterated her earlier question.

"The future. And it's shit, by the way." Five informed them boredly.

"Called it!" Klaus exclaimed.

"I should've listened to the old man. You know, jumping through space is one thing, jumping through time is a toss of the dice." Five said to no one in particular. Klaus's attire seemed to catch his attention, and he gave a look of approval. "Nice dress."

"Oh, well, danke!" Klaus said with a smile.

"Wait, how did you get back?" Luther drew the attention back to their previous conversation.

"In the end, I had to project my consciousness forward into a suspended quantum state version of myself that exists across every possible instance of time." Five explained as if it was the simplest thing ever.

"That makes no sense." Diego said in confusion.

"Well, it would if you were smarter."

Diego stood, ready to fight, and Kat placed her hand on his abdomen to hold him back. "Sit your ass down." She whispered firmly before giving Five a hard look that had him quietly apologizing in seconds. "How long were you there?" She finally asked.

"Forty-five years. Give or take."

Every jaw in the room dropped and Luther sat down in shock. That explained why he seemed so much older. Why he held himself so differently.

"So what are you saying? That you're 58?" Luther attempted to process.

"No, my consciousness is 58. Apparently, my body is now 13 again."

"Wait, how does that even work?"

"Delores kept saying the equations were off. Eh. Bet she's laughing now."

"Delores?" Kat and Vanya asked at the same time. They exchanged an awkward look, and bristled uncomfortably.

"Hmm. Guess I missed the funeral." Five said, dismissing the question as he picked up a newspaper from the table.

"How'd you know about that?" Luther said, causing Kat and Five to roll their eyes.

"Jesus H." She muttered under her breath causing Diego to snicker.

"What part of the future do you not understand?" Five said as if Luther was an idiot. He scanned the paper and took a bite of his sandwich. "Heart failure, huh?"

"Yeah." Diego said at the same time as Luther contradicted with, "No".

Five looked at Kat, who simply shrugged as if to say 'I told you so'. "Hmm. You were right. Nice to see nothing's changed." He said, walking out of the room.

"Uh, that's it? That's all you have to say?"

"What else is there to say? The circle of life."

A moment of silence passed between the Hargreeves family as they looked at eachother awkwardly. Klaus stood on the table and nodded.

"Right then."


	5. Learn When To Stop

Katherine promptly got to work, cleaning up the mess that Five had left as the rest of the family dispersed. It was she had always done- clean up the messes the family made. Fix things that needed fixed. She wondered how long it would take before she couldn't do that anymore. She put the peanut butter and marshmallows back in the pantry, then stepped down to clean up the crumbs and dishes.

Diego took her hand and pulled her away from the table.

"Diego, if I don't clean this up we're gonna get mice." She said, looking at the small congregation of crumbs kn the kitchen table.

"It'll be fine for a minute. Just relax, okay? A lot just happened in a super short time, and you need to stop before you run yourself into the ground." He said gently, holding both of her hands.

She looked up at him and took a shakey breath. "It's just... he's back. For years and years, I waited for him to come back. And now that he's home it's like-." She stopped midsentence.

"It's like he's not him." He finished for her.

"He used to tell me everything as soon at it happened. And now it's like I'm being brushed off like the crust from yesterday's peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich." She explained quietly. "It's just weird. I'll be ok, I guess I just need time to adjust to the fact that he isn't the Number Five that we remember."

"Take all the time you need. We're all here for you no matter what." He reminded her.

She nodded and stepped back. "I'm gonna finish cleaning up. I should be done in a minute, and then I guess we should go do dad's memorial thing."

Diego sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to give up. Instead of fighting her on it, he nodded and went to gather his siblings.

By the time they were all ready to go, it was pouring the rain. Everyone except for Luther and Diego had an Umbrella, and Kat made sure to hold hers over both her and Diego the best that she could.

"Did something happen?" Mom suddenly asked.

"Dad died. Remember?" Vanya said in confusion.

"Oh. Yes, of course."

"Is Mom okay?"

Diego immediately stepped to Grace's defense. "Yeah, yeah, she's fine. She just needs to rest. You know, recharge."

"Whenever you're ready, dear boy." Pogo told Luther, who was holding the urn that contained Reginald's ashed.

He turned it upside down, only for the ashes to unceremoniously plop onto the wind. "Probably would have been better with some wind."

"Does anyone wish to speak?" Pogo asked. After a tense silence, he nodded his head. "Very well. In all regards, Sir Reginald Hargreeves made me what I am today. For that alone, I shall forever be in his debt. He was my master and my friend, and I shall miss him very much. He leaves behind a complicated legacy-"

He was cut off by Diego, who spoke in a monotone voice as he stepped into the rain. "He was a monster. He was a bad person and a worse father. - The world's better off without him."

"Diego." Kat warned quietly. As much as she disliked Hargreeves, now was not the time nor place. She reached out to touch his arm, but he jerked away.

"My name is Number Two. You know why? Because our father couldn't be bothered to give us actual names. He had Mom do it."

At the mention of her name, mom perked up. "Would anyone like something to eat?"

"No, it's okay, Mom." Vanya assured her.

"Look, you wanna pay your respects? Go ahead. But at least be honest about the kind of man he was." Diego persisted.

"You should stop talking now." Luther said, his tone of voice dark and threatening.

"You know, you of all people should be on my side here, Number One."

"I am warning you."

"After everything he did to you? He had to ship you a million miles away."

"Diego, stop talking." Allison warned.

"That's how much he couldn't stand the sight of you!"

That was the final straw for Luther. He lunged forward and attacked, his brute strength his only weapon. Diego wasn't as strong, but he was quick and agile.

"Boys, stop this at once!" Pogo yelled. But his demands fell upon deaf ears.

"Come on, big boy!" Diego taunted.

"Stop it!" Kat yelled.

"Hit him! Hit him!" Klaus cried, earning a look from the former sibling.

Five sighed and scoffed, obviously done with the ridiculousness of the situation. "We don't have time for this." He said before walking inside.

"Come here, big boy!" Diego shouted.

What came next happened almost in slow motion. Luther swung, Diego ducked, and Ben's memorial statue went crashing to the ground. Kat felt a painful pang in her chest as the head separated from the body.

"Oh And there goes Ben's statue." Allison said blankly.

"Diego, no!" Vanya yelled, snapping everyone's attention as he threw a knife at Luther.

They all gasped as the blade sliced his arm. Kat tossed her umbrella to the side and ran over to heal him, but be pulled away and yelled at her not to touch him. She simply put her hands up and stepped away as he stormed inside.

"You never know when to stop, do you?" Vanya muttered.

"You got enough material for your sequel yet?" Diego snapped.

"He was my father, too."

Diego turned on his heel and marched over to Grace, not even noticing that Kat had made her way over to the beheaded statue of Ben. "Mom. Let's go inside. Come on. Okay? Come on." He said, leading her in.

Klaus slowly approached the ashes and leaned down to them as he spoke. "I bet you're loving this. Hmm? The team at its best. It's just like old times. Best funeral ever."

He put his cigarette out in the ashes and turned to Kat, who was kneeling next the the statue, thoroughly drenched with rain. "Come on, sis. We need to go in. You're soaked." He said, squatting down next to her.

"Just gimme a minute. I wanna do this. I can do this." She assured him, fitting the head properly on the body and focusing. She felt the kinetic energy in the metal buzz faster and faster until the material itself got too hot for her to touch. The two pieces fused back together and she looked at it proudly. Klaus helped her stand and walked her back inside, promising to have Luther put it back up later.

It wasn't until Diego was upstairs, did he realize that Katherine was not by his side or behind him. He whipped around and practically flew down the stairs. He got to the foyer to see her with a towel around her shoulders and Klaus drying off her hair with another towel.

"Shit Kat, I'm sorry. I didn't even think." He said, running a hand through his hair.

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine." She assured him. He went to hug her, but she stepped away. She was still hurt by how brash he had acted towards her earlier, and she wasn't just going to forgive him at the drop of a hat.

"I think I'm going to go up to my room for a bit." She said, going around him and up the stairs.

He watched her until she was out of sight, then closed his eyes and sighed. "Shit."

Klaus looked at him and shook his head. "Ya done fucked up." He said, walking up the stairs to go to his room.


	6. Feelings

**FLASHBACK**

Silence. Deafening silence filled the room, only broken by the sound of Katherine's breathing. The sat on a solitary chair in the center of the room, trying her hardest not to fidget. The door opened to reveal her father stood haughtily before her.

"Number Eight. The others have finished their training for today. Now you will begin yours. Number Two and yourself will be combat training together since neither of your powers affect your ability to defend yourself against assailants hand to hand." Reginald said, sticking his nose in the air.

Diego stepped from being him looking like he would rather be anywhere else. The fourteen year old boy was steaming that his father thought he needed more training. On the other hand, he knew that if anyone could help her with combat, it would be him. He had seen her fight and it was sloppy at best. At the very least he could help her defend herself. After all, Katherine was one of the only people in the house that he could stand to be around.

Kat had been raised differently from the others. Much like Vanya, she was kept under lock and key until time for a mission, then she was allowed out with the others in the public eye. The others did their best to include her in things, especially Five, Klaus, and Ben. Diego had never particularly spent a lot of time with her, he just noticed her in passing and kept her from being hurt during missions.

As soon as they were given the go ahead, they began sparring. By the end of the three hour session, Kat had recieved a split lip, a broken nose, and several places that would have certainly been bruises. Those had all healed almost as soon as they appeared, the flesh wounds only leaving blood as a reminder that they had even been there. Diego had recieved a nasty bloody eyebrow, a broken nose, and several potential bruises.

Reginald called time to stop, and both children collapsed to the floor in exhaustion athe moment he left. Kat managed to crawl over to Diego and sit up, pulling him into a sitting position. She looked at his face and cringed. "Can I heal you?" She asked.

She had ne er needed to heal Diego before, and she had no idea on how he would react to her simply reaching out and touching his face.

He nodded, and she gave him a warm smile. Her hands slowly raised to touch his cheek. Within seconds, his face was healed, and his nose fixed. Her hand moved from his cheek to his chest, where she felt heartbeat thumping. She focused on the power flowing through her hand into him, and he gapsed quietly as all of the pain he was feeling from where she landed her hardest punches had disappeared.

Diego looked up at Kat as she took her hand off of his chest and stood up, offering the same hand to help him stand. He graciously accepted it, rising to his feet, then dusting himself off. They wordlessly walked together upstairs, where Luther and Allison were waiting for Diego so that they could question him.

They were surprised to say the least to see the boy approach with Kat by his side.

"What were you doing downstairs with Katherine for three hours?" Luther asked bluntly.

Kat lowered her head and avoided his intense gaze.

"We were training. Dad wants us to work together and work on hand to hand combat." Diego explained with a bored expression.

"Like that's gonna help," Luther scoffed, "we all know she's useless in a fight."

Diego saw red at those words. "You know what? She seemed able to handle herself pretty well when she has handing me my ass a little bit ago. And even if she doesn't fight on missions, how many times has she saved your asses when you get hurt, huh? Do why don't you lay off her, Number One?"

He took Katherine by the hand and pulled her to her room, then slammed the door behind them.he turned to her and saw the look of wide eyed confusion on her face.

"What?" He snapped.

"I just...you stood up for me." She said, clearly not understanding why he would do such a thing.

Diego's posture and expression softened. He was sick of Luther talking bad about her behind her back, and seeing how genuinely sweet and caring she was made it that much worse. She just wanted to help people. Help them.

"No need to thank me. You stick with me, and I'll stand up for you. I'll always be there for you." He said with a small smile.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

**END FLASHBACK**

Diego stood in front of the door to Kat's room, wondering if he should go in, or if she would just yell at him to leave her alone. He made his choice and cautiously entered her room to find her laying on the bed, facing away from the door.

"Kat?" He said quietly.

"What's up?" She responded, not turning over to face him.

"I'm about to leave, gorgeous. Are you still coming?" He asked hopefully, sitting on the foot of the bed.

A moment of silence passed between them before she answered. "Yeah. I'll be down in a sec."

He took that as a fair answer and stood, exiting the room quickly.

Kat turned to see his figure retreating down the hall. He could be an ass at times, but he cared about her, right?

She groaned and rolled over, standing up as she stretched.

She made her way downstairs, picking up on Klaus and Diego's conversation.

"Are- are we leaving?" Klaus inquired.

"Yeah, we're leaving, me and Kat, by ourself." Diego countered, seeing Kat descend the stairs.

Kat couldn't help but smile and shake her head at the boys. "Klaus." She said before hitching a thumb over her shoulder. signaling for him to get his stuff.

"Oh, fabulous! I'll get my things." Klaus said excitedly, kissing her cheek as he passed by.

Diego sighed as Kat approached him, looking down nervously. "Hey. Look, I'm really so-sorry about earlier. I d-didn't m-m-mean to ups-set you. And I-" he stopped, frustrated with his inability to speak without stuttering like an idiot.

"Hey, remember what mom taught you. What we worked on. Picture it and concentrate. Calm your nerves." She told him, stepping forward and hesitating for a moment before putting a hand on his bicep.

He took a steadying breath, putting his hand on top of hers. "I didn't mean to just leave you there. I just got so damn angry, and I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Hey. No need to apologize. You're good." She assured him with a small smile. She hugged him tightly, secretly glad that he had apologized for his behavior. Not that it was a good excuse, but an apology was more than he normally gave. More than anyone normally gave her.

He hugged her back and gave her a quick kiss on he top of the head, then stepped away and led the way to the car. By the time they got there, Klaus was already waiting in the back seat. Diego opened Kat's door for her and closed it once she was in, befor walking around to the driver's side.

"Hey! Diego. You know, every time I close my eyes, I see a diarrhetic hippo about to shit on my face. It's terrifying!" Klaus said, laughing.

"Terrific." Diego replied, starting the vehicle.

Kat looked over in time to see Klaus close his eyes and shake his head, saying, "No! No."

She laughed at his antics, causing Diego to smile at the sound of her laughter.

"Lean back and put on your seatbelt, dummy." She said, still laughing.

She locked eyes with Diego, both of them smiling, and she knew that no matter what he did or how badly he messed up, she still loved him with all her heart. And deep inside, she knew that even though he didn't show it too often, he felt the same.


	7. Time To Think

Diego drove until they reached a pier, then pulled over and parked the car. He turned in his seat to look at Klaus as he unbuckled his seatbelt. "I'll be back, I just need a minute."

Kat undid her seatbelt as well and reached for the doorhandle, until Diego spoke.

"Alone. I'll be back." He said quietly, before opening his own door and getting out of the car.

She sat back and frowned as Klaus leaned up between the seats. "How long have things been bad?" He asked.

She shook her head. "They're not...bad. He's just been stressed lately. He's been busy." She explained. "I know it sounds like I'm making excuses for him."

Klaus sighed. "It does. Just like when he was sleeping with that lady cop. I wonder if he tells her stuff."

Her heart panged at that. That had been a rough three months. They had just had a huge fight over her constant pleas to let Klaus stay with them, and decided to take a step back from their relationship for a little while. About a week later, Kat had moved inyo her small dance studio, and Diego was sleeping with a cop named Eudora Patch. That was the worst time in Katherine's entire life, and she nearly didn't make it.

"This is different. And Diego and Patch are just friends now. Besides, he wouldn't tell her anything that he hasn't already told me." She said, her voice not 100% confident.

She fixed her gaze out the window, looking at the man she loved. The man who meant more to her than words could convey. She couldn't help but think about what Klaus said. Did he tell Patch things that he didn't tell her?

Her attention snapped to Klaus as he leaned out the door and yelled. "Yoo-hoo, Diego! I hate to rush you through any kind of brooding moment you might be having, but come on, man, we're starving!"

We? Who was we? She hadn't said a word about food since they had been in the car.

Klaus took a deep breath and looked to the empty seat beside him. "I'm craving eggs. No! Wait, it's too late for eggs. Waffles. Huh? You like waffles, right? Ah. Of course you do. Everyone likes waffles."

Kat sat in bewilderment at the seemingly one-sided conversation happening in the backseat.

"Gunshots reported on the 400 block of Milton Avenue, Griddy's Doughnuts." A voice on Diego's radio announced, catching Diego's attention. The man finally turned and sped towards the vehicle, snatching his radio off the hood before getting in.

"Diego, thank you for joining us, we have decided on, drum roll, waffles." Klaus announced.

"I'm gonna drop you guys off at the bus stop. I gotta get back to work." He said sternly.

Kat's stomach and heart dropped. He was really just going to leave them? After the day they had?

"What, breaking bones and cracking skulls?" Klaus asked tearfully, a humorless chuckle escaping his lips.

"Saving lives, baby." Diego smiled, starting the car.

"You're going to work? I thought we... I thought we were going home and getting some rest?" Kat asked quietly.

Diego kept his eyes on the road, not wanting to look over and see the disappointment he knew was on her face. "This sounded important. I need to be there in case they miss something. You know how it is."

"Do I?" She whispered underbher breath. Unfortunately, he heard her.

"What do you mean? You know what my job entails, Kat."

"I just mean that you don't really tell me anything anymore. I feel like everything is just different." She explained.

"I'm sorry. I never meant for it to be like that. Look, I'm gonna drop you guys off, and we'll talk about everything later." He promised.

There it was again. The whole 'We'll talk later' spiel. It was the second time she had heard it that day, and she was sick of it. "No, I understand. No big deal, right?" She said, her voice empty and void of any actal caring.

Diego sighed as he rolled to a stop beside a bus stop. Kat quickly undid her seatbelt and opened the door, but Diego gently grabbed her arm before she could get out.

"Hey, I love you. No matter what. You know that, right? You and me till our hearts stop beating." He reminded her.

Her expression softened as he spoke, and she couldn't help herself. She leaned in, giving him a meaningful, loving kiss. As soon as he pulled away, she pressed her forehead to his. "Till we both stop breathing." She finished. "Please be careful. I'll be waiting for you at the Academy. I expect home in one piece before dawn." She told him before getting out of the car, shutting the door, and standing beside Klaus.

They watched with matching expressions of acceptance as he drove away, leaving them to wait or walk. Kat looked at her brother and nudged him. "Walk?"

"Walk."

Klaus wrapped his arm around his sister's shoulders, and she wrapped her arm around his waist as they walked. It wasn't terribly far, so they didn't mind walking instead of riding the bus. Once they made it to the Academy they ran inside, definitely ready for some rest.

Luther was there, looking from the top of the stairs, watching the pair as they took off they parted ways. Kat went to the kitchen, and Klaus looked around cautiously before slipping back out the door.

Kat stood in the kitchen, with a glass of whiskey in her hand. She couldn't get drunk thanks to her abnormal healing abilities, but that didn't mean she couldn't try. Two hours later, she sat at the table with an empty bottle of whiskey by her side, and no buzz.

"Great." She whispered, standing up and discarding the bottle in the garbage. She trudged through the house, turning off lights as she went. She made it to the main living area to find Klaus passed out in his underwear on the couch. She smiled warmly at her brother and covered him up with a nearby blanket.

She made her way upstairs and entered her room, then frowned. It felt wrong being back in there for a night. Honestly it felt wrong not to be in her and Diego's bed back at the gym. They had spent to much time together in the past few years that being apart was unnatural...foreign.

She kicked off her shoes, stripped into a tanktop and underwear, and climbed into bed.


	8. Where Did You Go?

**FLASHBACK**

A bell rang loudly, calling the attentionof the children of the Umbrella Academy to fact that it was time to eat. They scrambled from their rooms one by one, running to the dining room table. They took their places behind their respective chairs, patiently awaiting orders from theirfather, who sat at the head of the table.

"The Dãlfersitz rappel is the preferred method for descent when rope is the only available tool, but must be regarded as a last resort. Begin by looping the rope-" the record droned on.

"Sit." Reginald barked, cutting off the recording and allowing the kids to sit and beging eating. Most of them merely picked at their food, other things capturing their attention. Allison and Luther were smiling secretively at eachother. Diego was sharpening a knife. Klaus was showing Kat how to roll a blunt. Ben was reading. Vanya ate her food in silence. Only Five dared to break the silence by slamming his steak knife into the table.

"Number Five?" Reginald asked.

"I have a question." The boy responded.

"Knowledge is an admirable goal, but you know the rules. No talking during mealtimes. You are interruptingHerr Carlson."

Five looked across the table at Kat, who gave him a pleading look. He sighed, but persisted. "I want to time travel."

"No."

"But I'm ready. I've been practicing my spatial jumps, just like you said." He said, performing said task with ease. "See?"

"A spatial jump is trivial when compared with the unknowns of time travel. One is like sliding along the ice, the other is akin to descending blindly into the depths of the freezing water and reappearing as an acorn."

"Well, I don't get it."

"Hence the reason you're not ready."

"I'm not afraid." Five fought, getting angrier by the second.

"Fear isn't the issue. The effects it might have on your body, even on your mind, are far too unpredictable. Now, I forbid you to talk about this anymore."

Five couldn't take it anymore. He stormed over to Kat and hugged her. "I'll be back. I promise." He said to both her and Klaus before sprinting out the front door.

"Number Five! You haven't been excused! -Come back here!" Reginald called.

But Five didn't come back. He got lost, leaving his family wondering just what had happened for years to come.

**END FLASHBACK**

Kat woke up around five in the morning to find no trace of Diego. No sign that he had ever come back and laid down with her. She frowned in disappointment. She thought that he would have at least been there when she woke up.

She stood and stretched, then walked to the bathroom to shower. After cleaning up a bit, she found a clean set of workout clothes in her drawers that would suffice for the time being. As she made her way down the stairs, she heard breathing and soft snoring coming from two bedrooms and the living room. She quickly and quietly exited the Academy. The bus stop wasn't too far away, and she had enough money to ride from there to the gym without a problem.

She arrived to see Al standing beside the ring, yelling at the guys who were fighting.

"Get with it! Throw a damn punch, stop trying to block!" The older man yelled.

Kat chuckled quietly. "Looks like these boys could use some shaping up, Al." She called.

The man smiled widely and threw out his arms, embracing her in a hug as soon as she was close enough. "It's good to see ya again. Where's Diego? He's usually not more than a few feet away from you."

"I was actually hoping you could tell me. He didn't come back to the place we stayed last night, so I was hoping he would be here." She explained.

"Nope. Nowhere to be found. But since you're here, would ya care to help me toughen these guys up. They fight like a couple of sissies."

She let out a peal of laughter, but nodded in agreement. "You got it, boss."

Kat didn't hesitate to grab the tape and wrap her hands, throw her hair in a ponytail, put on a pair of boxing gloves, and jump into the ring. She trained the men until they couldn't stand it any longer and had to work out a rotation in order to get a few minutes of rest.

"Focus. Come on!" Kat yelled as two men fought her at the same time. They were a sweaty, panting mess as they threw punch after futile punch.

"Yeah. Break. Break. Move your feet." Al yelled from beside the ring.

Luther entered the gym to see the old man yelling at whoever was fighting in the ring. "Excuse me." He said cautiously.

"You're looking to box? 'Cause I may need fighters, too. This old girl is wearing them out faster than I can get em in the ring." Al huffed.

"Oh, no, I'm looking for information on one of the guys that uses your gym. Diego Hargreeves?"

"Well, if you see him, you can tell him I'm this far from firing his ass. If it weren't for that girl of his, he'd be on his ass. She's an angel I tell ya. Nobody can keep up with her either. She's the best trainer I've ever had."

"Wait, they work here?"

"Eh, he, uh, mops the floor in exchange for the back room. She helps me out by training these chuckle heads when she's around."

"Okay. Thanks."

"Think about the fight game, eh? You got the build."

Katherine, finally finishing her fight, helped the guys out of the ring and caught a towel one of the guys tossed to her. She wiped her face and draped the towel over her shoulder as she hopped down.

"Looks like we aren't the only ones lookin for Diego." Al announced, approaching her.

"What do you mean?" She asked as he came to a stop and pointed to Luther, who was talking to a few guys.

"That big guy over there was asking questions. Wanted to know where your husband was."

"I know that guy, no worries. Also- not married, Al!" She called as she walled away.

"If he doesn't ask soon, I will!" He replied, causing her to chuckle as she approached her brother.


	9. Let It Out

Kat stood behind her brother, arms crossed and hip popped. He turned around and jumped, seeing her staring up at him. He cleared his throat and straightened up, looking down at her.

"Katherine. Didn't see you there. What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I live here. What are you doing here, Luther?" She shot back tersely.

He was mildly taken aback by her tone, but showed no signs of backing down. "Maybe we should continue this conversation in private?" He suggested in a hushed tone.

"Sure. Follow me." She snapped. She turned on her heel and marched towards her and Diego's room.

Luther followed, nodding awkwardly at those who passed by. As soon as they made it, Kat shut the door and walked over to sit on the bed. Luther stood awkwardly at the bottom of the stairs.

"So I'll ask again, what are you doing here?" Kat finally said.

Luther sighed, looking at her with a small frown. "Investigating, ok? I just wanted to investigate and see where you guys were on the night dad died. I had to be sure." He tried to explain.

Katherine saw red. Who the hell did he think he was, not only accusing her of murder, but Diego as well? She stood up to her full height, fists clenched at her sides.

"What the hell, Luther? Where do you get off accusing your family of murder? You know what? Screw you." She yelled.

"You know what? You're just jealous because I was Number One. I was always the best. I was dad's favorite because I stayed and everyone else left." Luther retorted.

She laughed quietly at her brother's words, shaking her head.

"What about this situation is funny to you, Katherine?" Luther demanded.

"You lived on the moon for FOUR FUCKING YEARS because "daddy said he needed you to". Diego fights crime in spandex like some kind of goddamn vigilante and doesn't talk to me about anything anymore. Allison is so starved for attention that she lets people broadcast her private life for entertainment. Klaus has to stay strung out to even function anymore. Five is a fifty somethingyear old functioning alcoholic who has seen some shit, Ben is dead, Vanya wrote a book about us, and I'm stuck here cleaningup after our family's messes because that's what I do. It's what I've done my whole life. So tell me, Luther, what in God's name makes you think that I would kill our father when all I've ever done is try to keep this family from falling apart?"

Kat had finally snapped, and her sibling stood in silent shock as he processed her words. He took in her appearance, the tears streaming down her face and her fists clenched tightly at her sides. The energy radiating off of her was intense and honestly frightening.

"Kat, I-"

"No Luther! Whatever you have to say, I'm done listening. Stay and wait for Diego or don't, I couldn't care less. Maybe he'll actually communicate with you." She said, walking out of the room and slamming the door behind her.

No one got in the way as she stormed into the ring, ready to fight anyone brave enough, or stupid enough, to attempt.

Half an hour later, Kat had run through the few guys who were willing to fight her and she had resorted to using the punching bag. Hit after hit she released her frustrations out on the piece of equipment.

Diego walked in and was immediately greeted by the gym patrons.

"Hey, Diego." Al said, catching the man's attention.

Diego walked over to the man with a smile on his face. "What can I do for you?"

"You might wanna check on your girl. Your brother came by a while ago and they had some kinda screamin' match. She beat the hell outta a few of the guys, and is gonna break the punching bag soon if she doesn't take a break." Al informed him, hitching a thumb over his shoulder at the woman.

Diego looked over to see Katherine indeed wailing on the bag in front of her. She looked angry and upset- something that made him both worried and nervous.

"Thanks Al." He said before walking over to where Kat was.

"Hey, beautiful." He said, cautiously approaching her.

She continued to throw punch after punch. "I take it Al told you?"

"Yeah. You wanna stop punching that bag like it has my face on it and come talk to me?" He asked, grabbing the bag.

She looked up at him, breathing heavily as she nodded. "Yeah. Sure." She followed him to the room, stopping short when he paused in front of the door.

He listened for a moment before swinging the door open and throwing a knife.

"Ow! What the-" Luther's voice rang out.

"I could smell it was you." Diego said, rolling his eyes as he and Kat walked in and he closed the door.

"What the hell? You could have killed me."

"If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead."

Luther sighed, seeing the murderous glint in Kat's eyes. "It's a nice place."

"We like it."

"So why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"That you were fighting the night that Dad died, and Kat was in her studio. I checked with the guys out there."

"Well, I shouldn't have to prove my innocence to you or anyone else in this family."

Kat winced at that. He sounded rather defensive.

"Yeah, you're right. But, I just thought that-"

"Yeah. I know what you thought. Now you have a nice day, brother."

Luther looked at the two and sighed before bumbling out of the room.

It was a few minutes before Kat finally broke the silence.

"So you didn't come back last night. I waited up for a while." She said, lloking at the floor.

"Yeah. I just, I went to the crime scene, and Eudora was there and she-"

"It's Eudora again now, huh?"

Diego sighed. "Come on hon, not right now."

"No, exactly right now, Diego! I don't know what the hell goes through your head sometimes, but I'd like to think that you have enough sense to know that if we don't talk right now, I'm gonna lose it. I've sat there and watched you keep secrets from me once, and I won't do that shit again. I won't. So you tell me here and now what you're hiding from me." She demanded.

He looked at her with an even expression and sighed. "I don't know why you want me to explain myself. I've done nothing wrong. I'm not seeing Eudora outside of work. And even then it's rare." He said flatly.

She closed her eyes and took an uneven breath, shaking her head. "I know you're hiding something, Diego. For the love of God just talk to me. Tell me what it is. I hate being kept in the dark."she pleaded.

"Fine. At the pier the other night? I was throwing dad's monocle away. Because I took it from mom." He admitted.

"What do you mean you got it from mom?"

"I guess she took it the night dad died. I didn't say anything because I didn't know how you would react." He said, looking down at her.

"Diego, you know you can tell me anything. You know I just hate being kept in the dark or lied to." She reminded him.

"I know. And about Patch, I'm telling the truth. Nothing is going on with her. Nothing ever will. I love you, and I will never forgive myself for hurting you. You can be damned sure I won't do it again. I'd rather die than be the reason you're hurting." He told her, resting his forehead against hers.

She closed her eyes and exhaled shakily. "You know that I love you. I know I don't say it enough, but I do."

"I know you do baby. And I promise to keep you in the loop on everything from now on."

"Thank you. That's all I wanted. Now I need to go take a shower." She said, kissing him gently. She gathered her clothes and a towel as he watched on from the side. She began ascending the stairs, but stopped halfway, looking down at him. "You just gonna stare at me, or are you gonna come help?" He scrambled to grab his things and followed her to their private shower, laughing as they went.

It was ironic that the girl who spent all of her life healing others needed help to heal herself. And who better to help than the boy who made her world seem a little less dim just by being in it?


	10. Love and Luck

Five had never been one to break easily, but what sat in front of him was enough to crush him. The entire Academy was gone, crumbled around him. He saw a hand reaching through the rubble and quickly made his way over to see what it was clutching. He pulled an eye from the hand, looking at it in confusion, then leaned over to see who it was.

A man with blonde hair and a large build. There was no doubt in Five's mind that the man before him was Luther. He looked around and found another body- Allison, buried beneath the rubble. His gaze caught on the body of Diego, face down on top of a pile of rocks. Five ran over and shook the man, praying that he would wake up. Maybe this was all some kind of sick joke? They were all going to pop up at any moment and yell "Surprise, we missed you!". But no, as Five shook him, Diego continued to lay lifeless. Five felt tears sting his eyes as he looked up and saw Klaus, motionless only a few feet away.

But where was she? His closest sibling and friend. The one person he trusted more than anyone else in the world. He stood up and looked around, searching frantically for her. "Katherine!" He yelled, fear in his voice. When he gained no response, he began to panic. His eyes scanned the rubble, and landed on a small hand, reaching out towards Diego. He hadn't even noticed that the man had also been reaching out, apparently towards her.

Five crawled over the rubble, kneeling so he could dig her out. He tossed away large chunks of debris to finally reveal her face. Even in death, she was beautiful and fierce. He dug further to see multiple steel rods penetrating her chest. So that's what had stopped her from healing. He saw her other hand stretched towards Klaus and the dam broke. He could only imagine how scared she had been in her last moments, not being able to hold any of the people she loved. He wiped away some of the dried blood and grime on her face and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, holding her hand as he quietly sobbed.

Katherine woke up from her nap to the feeling of soft fluttering kisses along the side of her neck. She smiled sleepily as Diego's arms tightened around her blanket-clad body. She turned around in his arms to face him, finally opening her eyes.

"Hi." She said quietly, her hands resting on his chest.

He kissed her softly then propped his head up on his hand. "Hi. You feeling ok?"

"Never better. You?"

"I'm naked in bed with the love of my life. I could die right now as the happiest man on earth."

She blushed fiercely, her leg hooking around his and pulling him to hover over her. "I think we can do better than that."

He smirked down as her, a deep chuckle rumbling through his chest. "Well, I just picked up a call on the radio about a whole shitton of gunfire downtown. But I think we can spare a few more minutes if you wanna come with me." He offered.

"Was that a fucking pun?"

"Was THAT?" He replied, both of them laughing befire he kissed her passionately.

The pair walked up, hand in hand to the scene of the crime. Diego wore his usual black attire, and Kat wore a pair of black skinny jeans and combat boots, with an oversized, black, vneck tshirt to match. Her long dark hair was pulled into a high ponytail to keep it out of her face.

"Promise me you'll play nice when Patch makes her way over?" Diego asked.

"Oh, honey. You know I don't make promises I can't keep." Kat teased with a smirk. They snuck around the officers, easily entering the scene.

Diego didn't hesitate to bend down and scoop something off the floor. Kat leaned down beside him to see that it was a casing.

"Do you seriously still not understand the chain of custody? If you touch it, I can't use it." Patch said, walking towards them.

"Let me save you some time running ballistics. These nine-millimeters haven't been manufactured since 19 -" Diego started, only to be cut off by Detective Patch.

"1963. Odd, I know. Matching casings were found at a murder scene last night. Ishmael's Towing."

"The driver?"

"Found him hanging from the ceiling. Looks like he must have known something after all."

"It's a shame nobody told you to go talk to him."

"In the span of 24 hours, I've had attacks in three different places across town. Whatever this is, whoever this is, they're not slowing down. So, if you really give a shit and you've got any fresh ideas, I'm all ears."

"The guy's kid, in the doughnut shop?"

"I've got units tracking the extended family in case anyone goes after him."

"Well, this place must have surveillance footage." Kat suggested.

Patch looked at her, surprised that she was actually there. Of course Diego never shut up about her, but seeing her was a different story.

"Uh...No, it doesn't exist. The first unit on the scene clocked two shooters fleeing the premises, wearing, get this, creepy kids' masks."

"The city is really going to shit, huh? CDC Diego said with a frown.

"Coming from the guy dressed in spandex?"

"It's not spandex, it's leather. And Kit-Kat here happens to like it. A lot, actually." Diego countered, shoving a hand in Kat's back pocket.

"Please forget I ever told you that." Kat said quietly into his shoulder.

"Etched into the data bank, babycakes."

"And we're done." Patch said awkwardly.

"Yeah, well, you go fill out your forms while we go hunt these animals down." Diego scoffed.

"And for the record, Detective, we do give a shit. Probably more than you know. So do me a favor and lay off him, ok? He is just trying to do everything you guys should be doing in the first place." Kat said sternly.

Patch was momentarily taken aback, but nodded as she watched them walk away.

Diego looked down at Kat as they exited the scene, smiling like a fool. "God, I'm lucky." He said as he kissed the top of her head.

She smiled and leaned into his side. "Nah. I am."


	11. Mommy Dearest

Kat and Diego were on their way to the Academy after recieving a phone call from Allison talking about needing them there for a family meeting.

"I dunno, Diego, Alli sounded really upset. And she said it was about mom. I'm worried." Kat said as they pulled to a stop.

"I know, babe. Let's just go and see what all the fuss is about. You know Allison, she's always been overdramatic." He said, trying to reassure both of them.

Kat nodded and got out of the car, making her way in the house.

A few minutes later, the Hargreeves family sat in the living area in deep discussion.

"I mean, do you really think Mom would hurt Dad?" Vanya asked skeptically.

"You haven't been home in a long time, Vanya. Maybe you don't know Grace anymore." Luther countered.

"You can't say much, you've been gone for four years, Luther. Besides, if he was poisoned, it would have shown in the coroner's report." Kat reasoned.

"Well, I don't need a report to tell me what I can see with my own eyes." He snapped.

"Maybe all that low gravity in space messed with your vision. And your self preservation instinct, since you suddenly think it's okay to talk to her like that." Diego snarled.

Luther ignored his brother and brought up the video clip. "Look closer. Dad has his monocle. Mom stands up."

"Monocle's gone."

"Oh, yeah!" Klaus said, finally seeing it.

"She wasn't poisoning him. She was taking it. To clean it."

Luther turned to look at his siblings. "Then where is it? No, I've searched the house, including her things. She doesn't have it."

"She doesn't have it." Kat confirmed, looking to Diego and nodding for him to tell them.

"That's because I took it from her. After the funeral." He divulged.

"You've had the monocle this whole time?" Luther pressed.

"What the hell, Diego?" Allison finally spoke up.

"Give it to me."

"I threw it away." Diego said with a shrug.

"You what?"

"Look, I knew that if you found it on Mom, you'd lose your shit, just like you're doing right now."

"Diego, you son of a bitch." Luther growled, stalking towards Diego.

Vanya stood, just at Kat took a defensive stance in front of Diego.

"Hey. No. Calm down." Vanya said, rather panicked. "Look, I know Dad wasn't exactly an open book. But I do remember one thing he said. Mom was, well, designed to be a caretaker, but also as a protector."

"What does that mean?" Diego inquired.

"She was programmed to intervene if someone's life was in jeopardy."

"Well, if her hardware is degrading, then - We need to turn her off." Luther said, causing half of the room to tense up.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait. She's not just a vacuum cleaner you can throw in a closet. She feels things, I've seen it!" Diego argued.

"She just stood there, Diego, and watched our father die."

"I'm with Luther." Allison said quietly.

"Surprise, surprise." Diego, scoffed as he took Kat's hand, ignoring the small sparks of energy she was emitting.

"Shut up."

"I agree with Diego. We can't just toss Mom to the wayside like she's scrap. I mean, she took care of us for almost our entire lives. I don't understand how you can even suggest shutting her down." Kat said, her chest hurting at the mere thought.

Diego squeezed her hand, then looked at Vanya expectantly.

"I-I don't -" the girl stuttered.

"Yeah, she shouldn't get a vote." Diego said, scoffing.

"Wh - I was gonna say that I agree with you guys." She said.

"Okay. She should get a vote."

Kat looked up at her most eccentric sibling and spoke softly. "What about you, Klaus? What do you say?"

"Oh, so, what? You need my help now? Oh, "Get out of the van, Klaus!" "Well, welcome back to the van."." He said, looking at Luther.

Kat looked at him and mouthed "van?".

"What's it gonna be, Klaus?" Lither pressed.

"I'm with Diego, because screw you! And if Ben were here, he'd agree with me." Klaus yelled.

"So that's four?" Diego counted. "To two."

"Vote's not final yet." Allison said.

"It won't change anything, Alli. Even if Five sided with you, it would still be a majority to no." Kat reminded her sister.

"We should still wait."

Everyone dispersed and Kat gasped as she and Diego turned to see Grace standing beside a column, looking rather void of expression.

"Hey. How long you been here?" Diego asked, approaching her.

"You all seem upset. I'll make cookies." She said with a smile, walking away.

"Do you ever wonder All those moments with Mom, the things she said. Like, was it her, or was it really Dad?" Vanya asked as their mom walked away.

"What are you talking about?" Diego grumbled.

"Well, he built her. And he programmed her to be a mom, to be our mom. Sometimes when I look at her, I just see him."

"Maybe that was true at first. But she evolved." Kat said, shaking her head.

"Well, how do you know?"

"Because Dad only loved himself." Diego said, walking away with Kat in his arms.

**FLASHBACK**

Alarms blared loudly through the house, and the children were all scrambling to make sure they were ready.

"Coming through! Come on, Luther!" Young Allison called.

"How will the Umbrella Academy ever become an effective crime deterrent if we can't even leave the house on time for missions?" Reginald called out.

"Behind you!" Luther called, runnong behind the old man.

"Come along, children! Come along!"

Allison dug through her drawers frantically searching for something. "I can't find my domino mask."

Grace walked in calmly and handed it to her. "It needed a little bit of TLC after the last mission."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Where's my knives?" Diego yelled.

"Mom and I put them in the case under your bed. You left them in the training room yesterday!" Kat called out.

"Sounds beautiful, Vanya." Grace said kindly as she passed Vanya's room, where the girl stood playing violin.

"Thanks, Mom." The girl said with a smile.

"Oh! Klaus!" Grace exclaimed, seeing Klaus jumping on his bed as a small fire blazed in his drawer. She put it out and looked at him, shaking her head.

"Thank you, Mother." He said, jumping down.

"Boys will be boys." She said, walking out as another one of the children approached her. "Oh, Ben."

"It- It's stuck." He said in frustration. Grace easily zipped, and he ran off. "Guys, wait for me."

Kat and Diego stood in front of his mirror, holding hands and trying to focus on Diego's speech.

"Come on, Diego. You can do it. Just concentrate." She said positively.

"D-Don't mmm. Don't mm mm mm. Don't muh muh." He groaned in irritation.

"Remember, Diego, just picture the word in your mind." Grace said, walking in.

Kat and Diego automatically released each other's hands and looked at her. Kat blushed bright red, but Grace simply winked at her and smiled.

Diego sighed and nodded. "D-Don't mm muh D-Don't mmm Don't mo-move."

Grace beamed at him excitedly. "You did it! I'm so proud of you!"

Reginald cleared his throat from the doorway and the two children quickly made their way to the car with the others.

**END FLASHBACK**

It was later that night when Diego decided to go talk to Grace and see just what was going on. Kat went with him out of morbid curiosity. Grace was humming quietly, working on a crafting project when they approached her.

"Mom, we need to talk." Diego said gently.

"Okay. But only for a minute. I need to finish this cross-stitch." She informed him.

"Everything you did for us when we were kids for me why'd you do it?"

"Because being your mother is the greatest gift of my life."

"Is that you saying that?"

"I'm not sure what you mean, Diego."

"I mean, our father, he made you. When you think something, is it like he's telling you what to say?"

"Your father isn't here, silly." She looked at the two infront of her and saw their concerned expressions. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, it's it's not...Look,mom. It's okay if you hated him. He was terrible to you." Kat assured her.

"To all of us." Diego agreed.

"Don't say that." Grace chided.

"Why not? We were just tools in an experiment to him. Nothing more. So I'm saying, I would understand if you know, if if you wanted to hurt him."

"Now, now. Mr. Hargreeves was a great man. Industrialist, inventor, Olympic gold medalist. He made the world a better place." Grace recited like it was a script.

"Stop it! Do you hear me? Stop trying to defend him!" Diego yelled, grabbing her roughly.

"Diego!" Katherine exclaimed, pulling him away.

"Mom, you gotta feel something. Look, he treated you worse than anyone. You worked for him for 30 years. He didn't even give you a room to sleep in."

"But I've got such beautiful views here." Grace said, her voice distant.

"Mom, those are just paintings." Kat whispered, her eyes teary.

"Of course they are." She looked at one painting in particular and sighed. "What a wonderful world she lives in. Sometimes I wonder if she's lonely."

Diego and Kat exchanged teary glances and decided it was best at the moment to just walk away.


	12. Something Wicked This Way Comes

Diego and Katherine walked to the kitchen and wrapped their arms tightly around eachother in a comforting embrace. It was at least ten minutes before they finally broke apart and silently walked up to her bedroom. As they were entering the room, something caught his eye. Suddenly, the hall was filled with gunfire.

"Shit!" Kat yelled, flinching. Diego wasted no time attacking the person nearest him, jumping on their back.

"Cha-Cha, shoot him." The man called.

"Get out of the way, dumbass." The other person, apparently a woman, replied.

A few more punches were thrown before their fight moved elsewhere and Kat took her opportunity to attack the "Cha-Cha" character. She was pretty useless against a gun, but she could try. Cha-Cha managed to get one shot off, knocking Kat off her feet. She clutched her shoulder as she let out a string of curses and watched the woman run off.

She focused on healing, but gunshots were a bit tricky of the bullet stayed lodged or the wound was somewhere critical. She got up and healed as she made it to where everyone else was, just as Luther sent Hazel flying through a wall.

"Who the hell are these guys?" Diego huffed.

"You're welcome." Luther snarked.

"I was doing fine."

"Oh, yeah, you really had them."

"Ever hear of a rope-a-dope?" Kat said with a smirk and a chuckle, wiping blood from her lip.

"Get out of here now! Go!"

"Hello? Guys? Is everyone okay? Hello? Guys?" Vanya called catching Kat's attention.

"Shit." Katherine huffed as she heard a yelp, followed by a crash.

"Hey, asshole." Luther said, going after the man that had just hurt his powerless sister.

"Vanya, get out of here!" Luther yelled as he fought.

"Vanya?" Kat asked quietly, running into the room and kneeling beside her sister.

She helped the girl stand up and quickly took her to a different room that was away from the fighting for the moment. "Do me a favor and wait here. I'm gonna find Klaus, and then I'm getting you both put of here. I won't let you get hurt again, ok?"

Vanya looked at her sister and saw something in her eyes that shocked her. Love. Concern. Fear. She nodded and grabbed her sister's hand. "Be careful, Kat."

Katherine gave her sister's hand a tight squeeze and smiled at her for the first time in a long time. "When have I ever been careful, Van?" She asked before taking off in a sprint. She arrived upstairs just in time to see the two intruders cause the chandelier to freefall onto her family.

"Hey dick for brains! No one fucks with my family." She snapped, running towards the woman.

The fight was short lived when the man came up behind Katherine, grabbing her roughly and plunging a syringe full of something into her neck. He looked up to see that Cha-Cha had disappeared and he sighed, dragging the girl along as he escaped from the house of freaks.

He made good time getting to the motel due to the fact that he hijacked a nearby car and threw her in the trunk, then bound her wrists and ankles, as well as gagged and ductaped on her mouth.

He stopped off to get a quick donut and say hi to Agnes, but once he got to the motel, he opened the trunk to find her staring up at him with fury in her eyes. He was confused, considering the dosage of tranquilizer he gave her should have kept her down for at least a few hours. He frowned and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder and heading to the room.

Hazel made sure to tie her down on a chair nice and tight, keeping her mouth gagged and taped. He then pushed her in the closet, waiting for Cha-Cha to get there so he could tell her the good news. All the while, Kat made no attempt to scream or fight, as she knew it would be no use. He would just overpower her again. God, she really was useless.

Fifteen minutes later (Kat knew because she had been counting) the door to the room flung open, revealing a beat up Cha-Cha. "Where the hell were you?"

"When you didn't come out, I figured we'd just regroup here." Hazel said obviously.

"And you stopped to get a jelly doughnut?"

"Maybe."

"After everything we just went through?"

"Well, I needed some comfort food after that disaster."

"Well, at least tonight's not a total loss."

"What makes you so sure about that?"

Cha-Cha smirked, handing him his mask and leading him outside to the car. She opened it to reveal Klaus in the trunk, screaming like an idiot.

Hazel chuckled. "Oh you're not gonna believe what I have waiting in the room."

Diego entered the kitchen, the weight of his actions heavy on his heart. All he wanted now was to get Katherine, go home, and go to bed. He searched the entire house, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Diego?" Vanya said as he entered the living area.

"What are you still doing here?" He asked.

"I'm just trying to help. And I wanted to talk to Kat."

"No, you could've been killed. Or gotten any of us killed. And now Kat is missing. She is a liability." He said the last sentence to Allison, who was floundering for words.

"Allison?"

"I think what he's trying to say is that this kind of stuff is dangerous. You're just..." Allison attempted.

"Not like you."

"No, that's not what I - Vanya, wait."

"Let her go." Diego instructed. "It's for the best."

Allison looked over at him. "What do you mean Kat is missing?"

"I mean that I've searched the entire house and she's nowhere. Now I gotta find her. And if those psychopaths took her, they're going to pay."

Hazel and Cha-Cha managed to get Klaus in the room and tied down without too much trouble.

"So what exactly am I going to love that you have hidden somewhere in this room?" The woman asked.

Hazel smirked and walked over to the closet. "May I present, my half of the win for tonight?" He said, opening the doors to reveal a mildly disoriented Kat. He pulled her around to face Klaus, and she finally started fighting against her restraints and screaming. Klaus did the same, trying his hardest to reach his sister.

Hazel and Cha-Cha skmply watched as the siblings struggled to be near eachother. The moment Kat saw her brother sitting tied up across from her, she knew that no matter what, these assholes were going to die. And she was going to kill them.


	13. Dark

**_IMPORTANT TRIGGER WARNING FOR DARK THEMES AND TORTURE AHEAD._**

"Number Five, where is he?" Cha-Cha demanded, choking Klaus.

Kat wasn't even worried about it at that point. Klaus seemed to be enjoying it...a little too much honestly.

"Don't... stop I'm... al...most...there." Klaus managed to say.

"Is that a ?" Cha-Cha asked in disgust.

"Yep." Hazel and Kat replied in unison.

Klaus coughed harshly as Cha-Cha released him. "Oh! Ah, there's nothin' like a little stranglin' to get the blood flowin', am I right?" He groaned, then laughed.

"What is so funny, you asshole?" Hazel asked, smacking him on the back of the head.

"Ow! Well, for one you spent the last ten hours beating me senseless, and you've learned absolutely nothing. I mean, nobody tells me shit. The truth is, I'm the one person in that house nobody will even notice is gone. You assholes kidnapped the wrong guy!" Klaus laughed, earning him another hit. "Ow! I'm sorry, okay?"

"Please make him stop talking." Hazel groaned.

"Let's waterboard him." Cha-Cha suggested.

"No!" Kat finally spoke up, worried for her brother.

She only relaxed when Klaus began to gargle and suck water off the towel, further irritating their captors. "Ah! Oh, I needed that."

"Come on!" Hazel complained.

"I was so parched. Thank you. Thank you." He laughed.

"Oh, God, this is brutal." Hazel said as he and Cha-Cha convened in the bathroom.

"Oh! What the hell is wrong with that guy?" Cha-Cha snapped. As the door shut.

Kat looked at Klaus with a frown. "You can't keep this up forever. Seriously, quit egging them on. I'll heal." She pleaded.

"Yeah, but at what point will your body say enough and you won't heal? I can't let them hurt you, Kat. I can't risk that." He said, looking at her with pain filled eyes.

She took a deep breath and shook her head. "I can't heal you from over here, and I've been useless the past ten hours. Please let me do this. Just for a while." She begged.

Klaus was about to reply when the bathroom door opened. Cha-Cha came out first. "New tactic. You're gonna watch while we play with your little girlfriend here. She somehow miraculously healed from when I shot the shit outta her shoulder, so I wanna see just what else she can heal from."

"First of all, not his girlfriend. Second- bring it, bitch." Kat said, nodding at Klaus to let him know that she would be okay.

"What the hell? Who'd you piss off this time?" Patch asked as she walked out her front door to see Diego lying on her porch.

"I gave it as good as I got."

"You didn't answer my question." She offered Diego her coffee, to which he replied, "Oh, yes."

"How's all that paperwork coming along?" He asked.

"It's a real page-turner. I've got two guys in children's masks, rare bullet casings, a random fingerprint from a 1930s cold case, and I just learned that the tow truck driver from the doughnut shop didn't have any family."

"The boy."

"Not his, apparently. Kid's our only possible witness and he's a complete mystery." She stopped for a mi ute and looked at him, seeing how exhausted and stressed he looked. "Okay, what's going on?"

"What?"

"You could have called me for an update. So why are you really here?"

Diego sighed and sat in silence for a moment. He contemplated telling her about Grace dying, but it felt... wrong. Like something he only wanted to mourn with Kat by his side. Instead, he got to the more pressing and important matter. "Katherine's missing. She's been missing since last night, and I've looked everywhere for her. I just I don't- I don't know how to- to."

"Hey. Hey. Tell me what's going on. Who did this?" Patch asked, motioning to his face and the injuries there.

"Let's just say I didn't get a good look at their faces."

"You went after the guys in the masks, didn't you?"

"I didn't go after them. And one's a woman by the way, so stop being so sexist."

"I specifically told you not to follow them."

"No, they came to my house, looking for my brother. They tried to kill my family. And I'm pretty damn sure they took the one person that I can't live without." He said, heartbreak evident on his fave and in his voice.

"Why?"

"I don't know. They've both been missing since yesterday. I need to find them."

"Diego, you need to let me handle this. You're not equipped."

"Oh, you've always loved tellin' me what I can and can't do. You know, maybe, for once, just try things my way."

"I can't. I'm sorry about Katherine, Diego. Really, I am. I'll see what I can do to help track her down, but that's all I can promise. Just take care of yourself so when she comes home, you're there to help her. God knows she would do that and more for you "

Snap. Muffled scream. Crunch. Sob. Slice. Gasp.

Common sounds coming from the motel room where Klaus sat, watching the masked monsters torture his sister. She sat hunched over in her chair, blood and tears streaming down her face as the newest slice on her cheek healed itself very slowly.

They had put a tarp down to keep the blood off the floor, but no one expected just how much blood it would catch. Klaus was right, her body couldn't keep up with the amount of abuse it was recieving, and she was beginning to heal far too slowly.

She shakily lifted her head, making eye contact with Klaus. Her mouth was gagged and taped once again, so all she could do was wink to let him know she was going to be okay. He sniffed, tears streaming down his face, wishing he could give her words of encouragement and hope. But his mouth had been taped shut barely an hour into the torture when he let out a rather nasty string of words at Hazel and Cha-Cha. Instead he nodded his head, hoping she would understand that it meant he was there for her.

"Wanna tell us what we wanna know now?" Cha-Cha asked, twirling the bloody knife in her hand.

Kat fixed Klaus with as stern of a look as she could muster and shook her head no. He mirrored the movement, shaking his head.

Cha-Cha just scoffed, handing the knife to Hazel. "Have it your way." The man said before plunging the knife deep into her thigh. Her scream was weak and muffled. Not only due to the obstructions, but because her voice was broken. Just like her body. Her mind. Her soul.


	14. Yearning

**_MILD TRIGGER WARNING. NOT AS SEVERE AS LAST CHAPTER, BUT DARK THEMES AND TORTURE STILL AHEAD._**

"Maybe you're not hitting him hard enough?" Hazel suggested.

Kat had the knife still in her thigh, as well as one in her shoulder and one in her abdomen. They had been going back and forth between beating the hell out of Klaus and torturing Kat, who had passed out a few times due to unbearable pain.

"Me? You're the one with the stupid orthopedic bracelet."

"I told you already, it's just for support."

"Withdrawal It's starting now, isn't it? Must be. Otherwise, who's the babushka?"

Kat froze. Maybe it was the fact that she wasn't healing right, or that she had been knocked around for the past seven hours, but she knew that voice. She turned to look at the source of the voice and gave a strangled cry. How was this possible? How was he here?

Klaus sighed. "I don't know, but it's driving me crazy. The bitch won't shut up!"

"Hey! Watch your mouth. What did I say about eyes front?" Hazel yelled.

"Stay calm, Klaus." Ben encouraged.

Kat gave another strangled groan, catching her brothers attentions.

Ben looked at her with wide eyes. "Can you see me?"

"Can you see him?" Klaus echoed.

She nodded, tears streaming from her eyes. Ben stood and walked over to her, then kneeled in front of her chair on the blood laden tarp.

"Hey. Hey, K. Can you hear me?"

Kat nodded, shock pushing adrenaline through her system.

"Oh my God." Klaus whispered, a huge grin on his face.

Ben looked at his brother, then back at his sister. "Look, I'm so glad that you can see me, but I'm going to make a guess and say that's not a good thing. So I need to to focus and stay awake for me, yeah?"

Kat nodded again, wondering if maybe she was unconscious and this was all a sick dream.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait What are you doing? That's mine. That's my personal stuff." Klaus said, catching Kat's hazy attention.

"Oh! - What do we have here?" Cha-Cha asked, searching through the man's coat.

"Let me see that." Hazel reached for the packet of drugs that she had found.

"Hey, no, no, no, no. Be Be careful with that. It's It's my asthma medication." Klaus attempted.

"Now we're getting somewhere." Hazel began crushing the pills into the carpet.

"Hey No, hey! Whoa! No, hey, hold on! Hold on! We can have a conversation. We're adults."

"Okay, you want more?"

"No! No! No, no, no! Stop! Stop! Please, listen. Listen, I can I can get you cash. Amputee hookers, whatever. Hey, just, please, just listen. Just don't. No. Please."

"Chocolate. Mm-mm-mm!" Hazel said holding up a bar of chocolate and opening it, taking a big bite.

"Please."

"You want a piece?"

"You gonna tell him that it's special chocolate?" Ben asked with a small smirk.

"Not until they're high as kites."

"Be strong."

Cha-Cha waved a baggie of drugs over Klaus. "This could all be yours for the low, low price of telling us everything."

"Okay, fine." Klaus broke, earning a quiet sob from Kat. He had broken so quickly for a few pills. "Okay, I don't I don't know where Five is. I wasn't lying about that. But I can tell you that he's hasn't hasn't been making much sense since he came back."

"Elaborate." Hazel said simply.

"I -Uh- He's just He's been acting like a-a-a lunatic. He's been sitting in this van in front of a a lab or something, and looking for the owner of an eyeball. One of those fake ones."

"That makes no sense."

"Hold on, just hold on. Tell us more about this eye, and why is it so important?" Cha-Cha pressed.

"He said it had something to do with the end of times, or something." Klaus explained.

Hazel and Cha-Cha exchanged a look and nodded. They picked up Kat's chair, carelessly jostling the knives as they put her in the closet. She gave a quiet cry and watched the world around her fade to black as she passed out.

Klaus called his sister's name as soon as he saw her eyes roll back in her head. Cha-Cha swiftly ripped a piece of tape and put it over his mouth. They carefully picked up the tarp, rolling it up to rinse it off in the tub. Once they had finished, they dragged Klaus into the closet and left the siblings sitting in the dark as they slammed the door to the room shut.

Luther and Diego met on the top floor of the library, their search for Five turning out fruitless. "Anything?" Luther asked.

Diego shook his head. "No." He sighed after a moment of awkward silence. "You wanna know why we left, me and Kat?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Why we left the Academy."

"Yeah, 'cause you couldn't handle me being Number One, and she followed you around like a lost puppy."

"No. Because that's what you do when you're 17. You move out, become your own person, fall in love, grow up."

"Oh, yeah. You're a real grown-up."

"At least I make my own decisions. You've never had to hold down a job. Pay bills. You ever even been with a girl?"

"I," Luther cleared his throat awkwardly, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Diego chuckled mirthfully. "Look, you wanna blame me, blame us for leaving that's okay. But maybe you're asking yourself the wrong question. Maybe it's not about why we left. Maybe it's about why you stayed."

"I stayed because the world needed me."

"You stayed because you couldn't let go of the way things used to be. The Academy. Dad. With Allison. Dad's dead. Mom too, now. We're orphans again, dude. And things are never gonna go back to the way they used to be."

"Do you ever stop talking?" Luther grumbled.

FLASHBACK

"Diego, I don't know. I worry what will happen to the others if we leave." Seventeen year old Katherine said as she and Diego sat on her bed.

"Why do you care, sweetheart? They're capable of taking care of themselves as Luther makes sure you know every chance he gets." Diego reminded her.

Kat hung her head. "I know. But it doesn't mean we aren't family." She reasoned.

Diego hooked a finger under her chin and raised her to meet his gaze. "You and me? We're all the family we need. I love you more than you know, and I won't leave unless you do." He assured her. "Just promise me that you'll think about it."

She nodded and grasped his hand. "If we left, tonight, where would we go? We have no links to the outside world, Diego."

"We'll find somewhere. I promise. I'll find us somewhere. Do you trust me?"

"With everything in me."

He smiled and leaned in, kissing her sweetly. "Pack everything you want to take. We can leave as soon as you're ready."

"You and me, till our hearts stop beating." She said, her thumb caressing his cheek.

He leaned into her touch with a warm smile. "Till we both stop breathing."


	15. Forget Me Not

**FLASHBACK**

Eight year old Katherine ran after Ben in the back yard, laughing and yelling without a care in the world. Five and Klaus followed close behind her, trying to catch up with their siblings. Kat's foot found purchase on a raised root, and she went skidding across the ground.

Ben, Klaus, and Five all stopped in their tracks, looking down at her in shock. Five was the firsg to react, kneeling beside her and helping her sit up. He saw a small place on her forehead, and her knees were skinned up. It was the first time she had ever really taken a tumble that resulted in more than bumping her head or knee, and her siblings were concerned to say the least.

Klaus gasped as he watched the wounds on her knees begin to magically heal. "What the heck?" He asked, watching with morbid curiosity.

Five expressed the same sentiment as he watched the wound on her face heal faster than any normal wound.

That was the first day Kat's power manifested itself.

The next occurrence was two weeks later when Diego accidentally cut himself on one of his knives during training. Grace had brought him upstairs to the kitchen, where Kat and Vanya sat together, reading a book at the table. They looked up to see Diego, clutching his fingers as Grace sat him down across from them. Kat immediately got up from her seat and ran around the table as Grace grabbed the medical equipment.

"Holy moly!" She exclaimed, seeing the amount of blood covering his hands and arms. She heard Grace approaching and turned to see her putting the medical kit on the table.

"I'll have to give you stitches, Diego. I'll numb you first so that it doesn't hurt." Mom informed him.

Diego's eyes grew wide. He hated needles.

"Here, I'll hold your hand and you can squeeze as tight as you need." Kat offered, holding her hand out for him.

He hesitated for a split second before taking her hand. She silently wished that his hand didn't need stitching up so that he didn't have to endure the needles.

"Oh my!" Grace exclaimed, looking at her son's hand. It was quickly healing, leaving behing no trace of a injury except for the obscene amount of blood that was now on both him and Kat.

Diego looked down in horror. "What the...?" He looked at Kat, then back at his hand. "Did you?"

She simply looked at him wide-eyed and nodded her head.

**END FLASHBACK**

Kat's eyes snapped open and she gasped quietly at the pounding in her head. "Christ." She groaned quietly.

"Hey, hey. You alright there, K?" Ben asked.

She nodded her head. "I'll be fine." She looked over at Klaus, who's mouth was taped.

The door to the room slammed open, and Cha-Cha's voice rang out. "You idiot! "

"What?" Hazel asked in confusion.

"You didn't put the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door!"

"I did! I know I- Shit!"

Footsteps hurriedly approached the closet before the doors swung open. "Oh, my God, theyre still here."

Hazel pulled Klaus out of the closet, and Cha-Cha pulled the chair to the center of the room as Hazel rather gently pulled Kat out. He noticed just how battered the girl looked and felt pity. Her smaller wounds had healed, but the knives remained in her and a few larger gashes hadn't healed yet.

"Hi." The bloodied up woman said quietly.

Klaus groaned and mumbled beneath the tape.

"What's he saying?" Hazel asked.

"Oh!" Klaus exclaimed as Cha-Cha ripped the tape away.

"What are you sayin'?" The woman snapped.

"You guys are scarier without the masks."

Kat chuckled, causing Cha-Cha to smack her on the back of the head.

"That's no way to say hello to your old friends, is it?" Hazel questioned condescendingly.

"Can't we call it a night? I already gave you what you wanted. Just, please please let us go. Please." Klaus pleaded.

"Well, technically, we want your brother. Is your brother here now?"

"Uh, he You're gonna have to be a little more specific on that." He chuckled, earning him a smack. "Ow! I told you already. No one will come for me. Kat probably has Diego and five up in a tizzy, but they'll never look for me."

"Well, Number Five knows you're here now. We left him a message. And when he comes for you, we'll be ready." She informed him.

**FLASHBACK**

Five sat on the floor at the end of the bed beside his sister. It was...unusual to see her crying, and he wasn't one hundred percent sure how to handle it.

"Kat, I know you're upset but I need you to tell me what happened so we can fix it."

She wiped her eyes and looked at him. "Allison and Luther were training, and I wanted to join them but when I asked them, Luther told me I was useless and I would never be any good at fighting. That I should just give up and accept it."

"And that's why you're so upset? Kat, you can't let Luther get you down. You know he just wants to get under your skin." Five reassured her.

"It's not that he said it, it's the fact that he's right." Katherine said, her voice wavering.

"Hey. Listen to me, don't you ever think that, okay? You are one of the best, most brilliant and skilled people I've ever seen. Luther is just pissed because he can't do anything really special like us. He's strong but he's stupid if he thinks he can talk to you like that." He said, holding her hand. He pulled her to her feet and hugged her. "Promise me you'll never let someone like Luther make you doubt yourself or feel inferior."

She nodded and gave him a small smile. "Promise."

**END FLASHBACK**

"Katherine!" Ben yelled, startling Katherine out of her daze. "Stay focused for me, okay?"

Kat gave a drowsy nod as she turned her gaze to Klaus who was whimpering.

"No, no, no, no. Oh, Jesus." Klaus moaned.

"Look at her. At how she's looking at them. She's one of their victims. We can use this." Ben told him.

Kat made a small noise of confusion and looked between her brothers.

"There's a woman. She's speaking Russian, I think. Shot in the head."

Kat was suddenly and oddly glad that Ben was the only ghost she could see.

"Go on. You haven't been this sober since you were a teenager, since you decided to keep the ghosts at bay. This is your chance, Klaus. To control them, learn their secrets. Try to talk to her." Ben encouraged.

Klaus gave him a look before turning to look at the spirit. "Hi Hi! Hi, uh What's your name?" After a pause, he spoke again. "Oh! That's a lovely name. And can you tell me what happened?"

"What happened is if you don't shut up, I'mma cut your tongue out with a grapefruit spoon." Cha-Cha threatened.

Kat glared at the woman as best as she could. She was getting tired again, and her brain was quickly getting fuzzy.

**FLASHBACK**

"Come on Katherine. You're better than that. Stronger. You gotta fight back. Just because you can heal doesn't mean you shouldn't try to protect yourself." Diego pressed, helping her stand. Her nose stopped bleeding and healed almost instantly, but it didn't mean it didn't hurt when he punched her in the face.

"I know. I'm just tired, Diego." She explained.

It was only their third training session, and Diego was already pushing her to her limits.

Diego lowered his voice as he spoke again. "I know you are. But he isn't going to let us quit until he sees improvement. You have to try."

Kat looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. Alright, let's go."

An hour and a half later, Katherine was doubled over on her knees as Diego sat beside her, both of them out of breath. Kat had started fighting back and was finally showing progress. She had gotten a few lucky hits in, but had recieved far more than she landed. They both looked up when Reginald entered and announced that they were to clean up and make themselves presentable for dinner, nodded at Diego, then left without another word.

Katherine clenched her jaw and looked down. Once, just once, she wanted him to be proud of her or even acknowledge her. But she wasn't like the others. Reginald had raised her separately to be a tool. A member of the Academy and nothing more. The moment her powers manifested, she was swept into solitude to practice their extent. The only ones who even talked to her outside of meal times were Ben and Klaus, and as much as she loved them, she wanted to connect with someone on a deeper level than just reading and weed. She had been close to Five, but there was no telling when he was coming back.

Diego noticed the look Kat had and stood up, extending his hand. "Come on. Let's go get cleaned up." he said with a small smile.

She looked up and genuinely returned the smile, accepting his hand. She followed behind him as he left the room. Her lips turned up in a warm smile and her heart filled with something she hadn't felt in a while. Hope.


	16. I'm Not Okay

"Just shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up. Everybody, just everybody just shut up, please shut up. Jesus, you guys are worse than the drugs." Klaus groaned.

Ben had taken a place perched on the bed by Kat's chair as Klaus dealt with the gruesome spirits that surrounded them.

"He's doing well, all things considered." Ben said to his sister.

Kat had almost fully healed from her wounds, but she was still weak, thanks to the severity of what she had been healing. She looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah. I just hate that it took this for him to get cleaned up."

Hazel and Cha-Cha exited the bathroom with cold looks. Hazel looked slightly softer, something that did not escape Kat's attention.

"Swiss Alps, huh? Which one are you? Cha-Cha or Hazel?" Klaus asked smugly.

"Hazel."

"Jan Mueller. Remember him? Swiss Alps. Him and his wife were coming back from a ski trip."

"I remember. Forward. Reverse!" Cha-Cha exclaimed, the memory playing back in her head.

"Yeah, that's it! Yeah! And his wife escaped down an alleyway. He says to say thank you."

There was the bombshell.

"What's he talking about?"

"I don't know." Hazel said, attempting to brush it off.

:He was so grateful to you, Hazel, for having spared his wife. You know, there may be hope for him yet. Don't you think?" Klaus said with a chuckle.

"Bathroom, now!" Cha-Cha snapped.

The door slammed behind them, and Ben looked over at Klaus with a proud smile. "Nicely done."

"Thank you."

Kat smirked at Klaus. "You're doing pretty good. But you're in deep shit."

"What. Why?" Klaus asked, suddenly panicked that his favorite sibling was unhappy with him.

"Why didn't you tell me you could see Ben all this time? How long has it been?" Kat asked, pained. Klaus knew how much it broke her when Ben died.

"I'm sorry, honey. I just needed to make sure it wasn't a fluke. It's not something I kept from you in order to intentionally hurt you. I love you to bits." Klaus said, wanting nothing more than to reach over and give her a tight hug.

"I know. I love you too. More than you will ever know." She said, her chest tight. Why did this moment feel so much like they were saying goodbye?

Klaus clenched his jaw as the spirits riled up again. "Jan says you're a real mensch, Hazel." He called. "He said you were such a great-"

Cha-Cha stormed out of the bathroom and grabbed the tape, ripping off a piece.

"No. No! No!" Klaus managed to say before she slammed the tape over his mouth.

"Ya know, you're a real dumb bitch. You think that just because you told Five we're here means that he's gonna come for us?" Kat scoffed, causing Cha-Cha to stop in her tracks and smile wickedly.

"Oh, sweetie." She said condescendingly. "We didn't say anything about you. Because the only thing they're gonna find of you is a body once I've figured out how to put you down permanently." She ripped off another piece of tape and slammed it on Kat's face, savoring the way the girl's face fell and turned pasty white.

"Now shut up!" She yelled at the siblings, slamming the bathroom door behind her.

Klaus took this chance to scoot his chair towards the window in hopes of catching someone's attention. A shadow passed the window and Klaus immediately took action, screaming as loudly as possible with the tape on his mouth. Katherine slowly scooted her way over to him, yelling the best she could.

Klaus began slamming his head off the table, and Kat shrieked in shock.she turned to that her hand was brushing against his arm, hoping to keep him from severely hurting himself. She was so drained she didn't know if it was actually going to work, but even a little healing was better than none.

The sounds of a key card unlocking the door reached Kat's ears and she could have cried. She looked up as the door opened to see that their savior was none other than Eudora Patch. They made eye contact and both panicked. Patch because of how much blood Kat was covered in, and Kat because she knew that Cha-Cha would not hesitate to kill Patch if they were caught.

"I'm Detective Patch." Eudora introduced herself to Klaus as she cut the siblings from their restraints. Klaus yelped quietly as the take was ripped from his mouth. He and Kat both shakily stood and gripped eachother tightly.

"Go. Through the vent. I'll be right behind you." She promised.

"But-" Klaus attempted to protest.

"Go! Hurry up!" She pressed as the bathroom door creaked open.

"Police! Drop the gun, or you're going down!" Eudora yelled.

Klaus quickly made his way into the vent, and Kat looked at Patch. They nodded as Katherine took the knife from the Woman's pocket.

"I'm coming out. Don't shoot." Hazel announced.

"Hands behind your head, asshole."

"Okay. Just don't shoot."

"Patch, there's two of th-"

Before Kat could finish her sentence, a gunshot rang through the air and Eudora's gun dropped from her hand. Kat gasped and spun around, throwing the knife without hesitation. Milliseconds later, Cha-Cha fired her gun once more, this time aimed at Katherine's head. Call it fate, destiny, or dumb luck, the knife found purchase in Cha-Cha's shoulder causing the trajectory of the bullet to stray just the slightest. It was a clean shot across Kat's temple, which resulted in a fair amout of blood. She crumpled to the ground her head in excruciating pain.

Her only relief was the fact that she was about to pass out.

**FLASHBACK**

"This is Claire." Allison said proudly, holding her daughter in her arms. "You wanna hold her?" She asked.

Katherine looked at the baby in wonder and nodded. She was so tiny and beautiful. Like a porcelain doll. "She's perfect."

"You know, you and Diego are the only ones who have come to see us?"

"Allison, as much as we have fought and disagreed, we're family. Nothing is gonna change that. And family supports eachother." She said with a nod before looking down at Claire. "We're family. We have to stick together."

**X--X**

"I need your help. I need you to tell me what girls like." Luther implored.

"You mean what Allison likes?"

"Come on Katherine, throw me a bone here."

Kat laughed quietly and shook her head. "Something meaningful. Something that she can look at and always be reminded of you."

"Like a bracelet?"

"Try a necklace. She's more likely to wear it."

Luther smiled brightly and nodded. "I know just what to get. Thanks, Kat." He said, giving her a quick hug.

"No problem." She said with a faint smile.

**X--X**

Ben sat on his bed and groaned. "I'm stupid."

"You're not stupid. You just haven't had a chance to use your powers that much. You have to give it time, Ben." Katherine assured him.

"I'm sorry you got shot."

"Hey, no harm done. Healed right up. Plus now I know I can heal from gunshots. Pretty cool, huh?"

She and Ben both laughed, glad for the distraction.

**X--X**

Klaus knocked on the door to the gym, soaking wet from the rain. Kat offered to see what the noise was since Diego had onky gotten home about an hour prior.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, which widened as she saw her brother's face in the window. She hurriedly unlocked the door and ushered him in, then relocked the door. "Oh my God, are you okay?"

"Raining. Cold. Hungry." He said, shivering. She dragged him to the bathroom and peeled his coat off, then wrapped a towel around him.

"I'll take care of you. Just relax a bit, okay?"

He nodded and pulled the towel around himself tighter, looking up at her in admiration. His savior. His sister. His best friend.

**X--X**

"Come on, Five, you've got this. Just a few more times." Kat encouraged.

Five nodded, once again jumping from one side of the room to another. Kat smiled brightly.

"Keep this up and you'll be ready to practice time jumps pretty soon."

"You know Reginald will never let me."

"You can try, though. Reginald doesn't control your life, ya know."

"I know. I just want him to see I can do it." He said, sittin on the floor beside her.

"I understand that all too well. But I believe in you. Just promise me that no matter when or where you jump, you'll always come back to us. Promise you won't leave me." She implored.

He looked up at her and grabbed her pinky with his own as she had done to him many times. "I promise."

**X--X**

Vanya watched in shocked silence as Katherine stood in front of her, cradling a now throbbing hand. It was healing, but Christ did it hurt.

"I don't know who you think you are but you better watch yourself before you get into a fight you won't win." Kat said, standing in front of the man who thought it was a good idea to lay a hand on the unpowered sibling. His nose was definitely broken, but he looked scared enough.

Especially considering Luther, Diego, Allison, and Klaus were all now standing behing Katherine.

"You might want to listen to the lady before you get hurt even worse." Luther piped up from the back of the group. For a bunch of sixteen year old kids, they were rather intimidating.

The man fled into his truck and didn't look back.

"Are you okay?" Kat asked, looking worriedly at Vanya.

"Yeah. Thanks for, uh, for doing that. All of you." She said awkwardly.

"C'mon, V. We're family, it's what we're here for." Kat said, throwing an arm around Vanya. "Now let's go inside and eat till we puke, yeah?" She chuckled.

**X--X**

"Diego?"

"Katherine?"

"When did you know?"

"Know what?"

"That our family was screwed."

"Baby girl, our family has always been screwed. But you, you've always had this ability to just keep us together when we needed strength. You're like an elixir that somehow manages to do the impossible and heal us when it seems impossible to do so."

**END FLASHBACKS**

Diego ran into the motel room calling out for his brother. "Klaus?"

When he saw the scene that was laid out in the room, his heart dropped to the floor. "No, no, no! Eudora! No, no, no! Eudora! Why didn't you wait?"

Tears stung his eyes as he mourned over the death of his friend.

But that was nothing compared to the way his body reacted to looking up and seeing Katherine lying on the floor in a puddle of what appeared to be her own blood.

"Kat?" He practically whimpered as he bolted over to her. He turned her over to see an ungodly amount of blood, both dry and fresh, accompanied by a myriad of bruises, tears in her clothes, and other signs thag she had been severely injured. But why wasn't she healed? What had happened to her?

Diego cradled her face in his hands and wiped away what blood he could as the sound of sirens reached him. He could feel a faint pulse when he checked, but it was nearly impossible to detect.

"Kat? Kat b-baby, please. We gotta go, okay? We-we-we can't be here when they come, o-okay? I've gotta get you out of here. We're gonna ge-get back to the A-Academy and I'm gonna t-t-t t-take care of you, I pro-pr-promi-promise. I'm gonna make everyth-thing okay. You're gonna be okay."


	17. Hopefully

The moment Diego burst through the door to his little back room with Kat in his arms, he looked over to his siblings. "Hey! Somebody come help!" He said, his voice still raw from screaming and crying.

Five looked up and froze when he saw the bloody scene before him. "No..." he whispered, bolting over. His eyes scanned over his sister to see a nasty gash on her temple still steadily streaming blood. "What the hell happened, why isn't she healing?"

"I don't know. I...F-five." Diego whispered, fresh tears streaming down his face.

"Come on. Get her to the table." Five said, then ran and swiped everything off the table haphazardly. "Luther, get over here!" Five yelled as Diego ran over with Katherine, placing her gently on the table.

Luther's footsteps thundered through as he ran over. "What do I need to do, Five?" he asked, his face pale as he looked at his siblings, two of them covered in blood, and the third spacial jumping around, frantically gathering anything that could help stop the bleeding. "Holy shit." he muttered, looking aat his sister. The girl who always bounced back and healed. The girl who kept them together and did her best to remind them all what it meant to be a family, even when they didn't act like one.

"Don't just stand there, get some wet cloths and start wiping her down." Five snapped at Number One.

Luther scrambled to the small shelf across the room, grabbed all of the washcloths, and ran them back to the table area. Luckily the sink was empty, so he threw all of the cloths in and filled it with warm water. As soon as it was full, he turned it off, wringing one cloth out for both himself and Diego, who was sitting practically catatonic beside Kat's body.

"Diego. Listen I know this is hard right now, but Kat needs you. We have to stop the bleeding and clean her up. Help us out." Luther said calmly.

Diego looked up at him, seeming to snap out of his daze. He took the cloth and quickly began wiping her face, being extremely careful around her open wound. "Sh-she's healing."

"That could be a bad thing or a good thing." Five reasoned. "She could be healing, but that doesn't mean she'll wake up."

"Don't say that. Kat is gonna pull through, alright? She's gonna be just fine and tomorrow, we'll all be talking about this like it's nothing." Luther said, his voice quiet and unsure. There was a lot of blood, and she looked so very pale. Almost like she was already dead and they were just preparing her body for a funeral.

Diego checked her pulse and let out a small sob. Five's eyes snapped up as he waited for an explanation.

"Her pulse is s-stronger than before." Diego said through his tears. "She's gonna be o-okay. I know it."

His brothers continued their work, cleaning off everywhere they could see. Her shirt was practically shredded, and her pants didn't fare much better. "What happened? How did she get like this?" Luther asked, wiping down one of her arms.

"Our brother's been pretty busy since he got back. He was in the middle of that shootout at Griddy's, and then at Gimble Brothers, after the guys in masks attacked the Academy, looking for him." Diego said, walking over to their dresser and grabbing a fresh set of clothes for himself and Kat.

"None of which is any of your concern." Five countered.

"It is now. They just killed my friend. And almost killed Katherine."

"Who are they, Five?" Luther asked.

Five sighed. "They work for my former employer. A woman called The Handler. She sent them to stop me. Kat was likely tortured for information. When she wakes up, if she wakes up, she won't be the same. We've all been trained to extract information in the most painful and traumatic ways possible. Someone with Kat's abilities? They absolutely took advantage of that. They would have tried their damn hardest to kill her, and when they couldn't- they most likely tortured her just for the hell of it. Then, soon as Diego's friend got in their way, well, fair game."

"And now they're my fair game. And I'm gonna see to it they pay." Diego snarled.

"That would be a mistake, Diego. They've killed people far more dangerous than you."

"Yeah, we'll see about that. I'm taking her to the private shower and cleaning her up. You two clean this up." Diego said, keeping a firm grip on the clothes as he scooped Kat up.

He made it to the privat bathroom and tossed the clothes onto the sink. He gently placed her in the floor of the shower and stripped her stiff, bloody clothed off. He took his own off and turned the shower on, allowing the water to cascade over them. the blood slowly ran down the drain as it was cleansed from their skin. Her hair slowly softened as the thick layer of dried blood rinsed away. He washed her body off, then his own. Her head wound was now a very angry red mark, but she was void of any other marks or injuries. Once he was sure they were both clean, he turned off the shower, dried them both off, and got them both dressed. He carried her back to the room where Luther and Five sat waiting. "Take care of her. I'm going out. The second she wakes up, you let her know I'm safe and I'll be back as soon as possible."

"We're gonna go back to the house. We'll be there when you finish being a reckless idiot." Five said, watching as Luther took Kat from Diego.

"Diego." Luther said as his brother was heading out the door.

Diego turned to look at him, obviously impatient.

"You be careful and come back safe. For her. You hear?"

Diego gave a brief nod before heading out.

Luther looked down at Five and sighed. "Ready to walk?"

"Let's go. Hopefully she wakes up when we get home." Five said,brushing a piece of hair out of his beloved sister's face.

"Yeah, hopefully."


	18. Trauma

Two hours. It only took Kat two hours after they left to wake up. When she did, she shot out of bed and over to the corner of the room. Her eyes were wide as she looked around, finally stopping when she saw Five standing beside the bed with his hands up.

"Katherine? Kat, it's me, Five. You're okay, you're home. You're safe now." he said in a calm, quiet voice.

The look in her eyes absolutely shattered him. He would have rather spent a million years alone in the apocalypse than ever see that look on his sister's face. She looked as though everything inside her had been broken.

"What happened?" she asked quietly. "After she shot me, what happened?"

"Diego found you at the motel. He brought you to your apartment and him, myself, and Luther cleaned you up."

"Where is he?" Her eyes flit around the room searching for him.

"He' not here. But he'll be back soon, I'm sure. He wouldn't leave you for long."

"Klaus?" she asked next.

"He's here. Made it home not long ago."

Kat practically bolted from the room, down the hall to where Klaus's room was. Five hurried after her, watching as she stood frozen in front of the door, her hand raised to knock.

"Kat?" Five asked, worried.

She shook her head, then knocked quietly. On the other side of the door, Klaus groaned.

"Come in." He called.

Katherine slowly turned the knob and opened the door to see Klaus sitting on his bed, head in his hands. He looked up to see who was entering his room and gasped quietly. He stood slowly and held out his arms, waiting for her to make the first move. She felt tears stream down her face as she carefully approached him, her own arms wrapping around his waist.

"Holy shit. I thought you were dead for sure." Klaus whispered, stroking her hair.

"I was so scared. I didn't know if you got away or not. I knew that I had to try to keep you safe." she explained through her tears.

"You did, Kat. You saved my life yet again. You keep saving me." he said, tears of his own building in his eyes.

A knock on the door frame caused them to pull away and look over to see Five standing awkwardly in the doorway. "You okay?" he asked Klaus, knowing already what Kat's answer would be.

"Hey. Yeah, I just...long night." Klaus said, sitting down and patting the bed for Kat to join him. He held her hand tightly like he was afraid to let her go, and she gripped him much the same.

"More than one, from the looks of it." Five said.

"Yeah."

"Don't remember the dog tags."

"Yeah, they belonged to a friend."

"How about that new tattoo?"

"You know, I don't totally remember even getting it. Like I said, it was a long night." Kat knew that Klaus was lying, she just wasn't sure why.

"You did it, didn't you?" Five said, his voice filled with accusation.

"What are you talkin' about?"

"You know, I can recognize the symptoms, Klaus."

"Symptoms of what?" Kat finally asked.

"The jet lag. Full body itch. Headache that feels like someone shoved a box of cotton up into your nose and through your brain." Five listed.

"Klaus, what's he talking about?" Kat asked, growing more worried every second.

"You gonna tell me about it?" Five asked, ignoring Katherine.

"Your pals, when they broke into the house and they couldn't find you, they took Kat and me hostage instead." Klaus said, causing his sister to cringe and shudder.

"And in return, you stole their briefcase." Five figured.

"Yeah. I thought there was money in it, or I could pawn it, you know, whatever. And then I opened it."

"And the next thing you knew, you were where? Or should I say when?"

Kat's eyes grew wide. Klaus had time traveled.

"What difference does it make?" Klaus mumbled.

Five looked appalled. "What diff- Uh-."

Kat cut him off. "How long were you gone?"

"Almost a year." Klaus admit quietly.

"A year? Do you know what this means?" Five exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'm ten months older now." Klaus said as if it were the obvious answer.

"No, this isn't any sort of joke, Klaus. Hazel and Cha-Cha will do whatever they can to get the briefcase."

"NO!" Katherine exclaimed, placing herself defensively in front of Klaus. She refused to let them get near him ever again. Five may not have been able to see it, but Kat could see the brokenness in Klaus's eyes. The mischievous twinkle was gone, his spark dimmed to the point of nearly being extinguished.

Five was shocked by the feral look his sister had. Something inside of her had absolutely changed. It had made her fiercer. More protective of their brother at the very least, if not all of them.

"Where is it now?" Five asked carefully.

"Gone. I destroyed it. Poof." Klaus said, putting a cautious hand on Kat's shoulder.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

"What do you care?"

"What do I care? I needed it, you moron, so I could get back. I could start over. It could be like I never left." he explained, looking at Kat on his last sentence.

Klaus stood up, and Kat looked up at him.

"Where you going?" she asked, panic edging into her voice.

His gaze softened and he sighed. "I just need a few minutes, I promise not to leave the main areas."

She nodded, standing up and crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm going to go wait for Diego in his room."

Klaus looked at Five and shook his head. "Interrogation's over, just leave."

Once he was gone, Kat kissed Five on top of the head and hugged him. "Thank you for taking care of me." She said quietly.

"Of course, You've always taken care of me, why wouldn't I do the same for you?" he said, carefully hugging her back.

She stepped away and gave a forced smile before walking out of the room.

She slowly made her way to Diego's room and opened the door, yelping in surprise when she saw him sitting in the floor in front of his knife case. He whipped around to see her standing in the doorway with her hands covering her mouth. He put the knife in his hand down, stood, and started towards her, causing her to stumble backwards. He stopped, a look of hurt spreading across his face.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. It was just the fast movement, I panicked. It's not you, Diego." she said, her words flowing out so fast he could barely understand her.

He shook his head, the look of disappointment quickly leaving his face. "I should have been smarter about it. It's my fault." he reassured her.

She slowly approached him, her hand reaching up towards his face. He stood still, allowing her to gently place her hand on his cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, basking in the moment.

"I'm sorry about Patch. I tried so hard to keep her from getting hurt" she apologized.

He shook his head and scrunched his brows. "Thank you, but I have to be honest- I was so damn scared to see you lying on the floor there, K. I saw you laying in that pool of blood, and my heart stopped. I thought...I thought you were dead." He said, his voice breaking.

"I'm not. I'm right here. I promise I'm here. And I healed up. I'm okay." she said, wiping a lone tear from his cheek with her thumb.

He locked eyes with her and frowned. "What the fuck did they do to you, beautiful?"

"Terrible things. Things that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemies, and things that I can't bring myself to burden you with. But I did what I had to do to keep everyone else safe. I would do it a thousand times more if it meant keeping anything from happening to my family." she said, her voice empty.

He could tell that she had been through something traumatic, and he knew that even though her body could heal in a matter of hours, her mind would take much longer.

"I know you need time. But I'm here whenever you need me." he promised.

She looked up at him and nodded, then gently pressed her lips to his. "I love you." she said, her voice sure for the first time since she had woken up.

"I love you, too." he said softly.

She stepped around him and warily eyed his knives.

"I was just getting everything together so I could take it along. If it's an issue, I can absolutely-."

"No." she said quietly, wrapping her arms around herself. "You gotta get your knives, I get it. I'll just, uh, stay over here." she said, Her brain replaying scenes of what the last knives she encoutered had done to her. She shook her head and inhaled sharply.

Diego was quick to lock up the case and get the knives out of sight. "Hey, you're okay. They can't hurt you as long as you're with me. I promise.

She nodded and took his hand as he held it out. They descended the steps to find Klaus standing in front of the fallen chandelier.

"You look like shit." Diego said, passing him.

"Why, thank you. Hey, where you going?" Klaus asked.

"Nope."

"What?"

"I'm not giving you a ride."

"Oh, come on, man. You know I can't drive."

"Two minutes." Katherine interjected. Diego looked at her, resigned. Klaus simply looked thankful.

"Okay, great. I'll just get my things. Two minutes." Klaus promised, running upstairs.

Diego looked at her, the unspoken question lingered in the air.

"Klaus was there. When they couldn't find Five, they took us. After a while, I couldn't just sit and watch them hurt him anymore. They made him watch everything. I made him leave when I knew things were going south. I just don't want to be away from him for too long." she explained. Diego just nodded in understanding.

"You won't hear any arguments from me if that's what you need to feel safe and comfortable." he assured her.

"Thank you." she said, squeezing his hand. Klaus came bounding down the steps and held Kat's free hand.

"Let's go." she said, letting Diego lead the way to the car.


	19. Pressure

Diego looked over at Klaus in the passenger seat, then at Kat in the rearview mirror. The car was unusually silent, and he could feel the unease rolling through the air. "Wow. This is a first. My brother Klaus is silent. Last time you were this quiet, we were 12. Ran down the stairs wearing Grace's heels, tripped over, and broke your jaw. How long was it wired shut again?"

"Eight weeks." Klaus mumbled.

"Eight glorious weeks of bliss." Diego joked.

"Hey, just... just drop me off here." Klaus said suddenly.

Diego brought the car to a screeching halt as they all looked over at the bar Klaus had told them to drop him at. The latter got out of the car, then opened the back door so Kat could get out and move to the front seat.

"You sure you okay?" she asked quietly as he closed the back door.

Klaus sighed and rubbed his face. "No, not really. But I will be."

"Just promise me if things get too bad, you'll talk to me. I don't know what you went through when you went back whenever you went, but I can tell you that I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you."

"I know you will, Kat. I'll be here for you, too. And I promise I'll stay here until you can come get me, or I'll be at the house by tonight."

"Thank you. Be safe." She said quietly, then hugged him tightly. "I love you."

"I love you, too." He whispered, kissing the top of her head.

She got into the front seat of the car and closed the door, watching Klaus walk into the bar. Diego started to drive away, and Kat looked over at him.

"Something is really wrong. I think we should go in there and make sure he's okay." She said quietly.

Diego glanced over at her and saw the look of worry on her face. "Okay. Okay. We'll go back in for him if it'll make you feel better, babydoll."

"Thank you, hon." She said quietly, reaching out to squeeze his hand.

They turned around and parked, staring up at the entrance of the bar.

"Why here? Why a bar for vets?" Diego asked.

"I think I know, but I don't think it's my place to tell you." she admit.

"That's okay. He'll tell me eventually. For now, though, let's go get him."

They got out of the car and entered the bar to see Klaus standing in front of a board full of pictures of veterans.

Diego approached Klaus and put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Just go away, please." Klaus sighed.

"Not until you talk to me." Diego denied.

"Is that a threat? You threatening me?"

"Klaus-" Katherine started.

"Hey, bar? It's for vets only." A buff man said, cutting her off.

Kat looked up at him with wide eyes and shuffled behind Diego next to Klaus. She clutched onto Diego's arm and grabbed Klaus's hand. The energy this man have off was hostile and uncomfortable. She was immediately on guard, her heart pounding in her chest and energy flowing through her veins.

"I am a vet." Klaus argued.

"Really?" the vet chuckled, "Where'd you serve?"

"None of your business."

"You got balls comin' in here, pretendin' you're one of us."

"Hey, listen here Asshole. He has every right to be here, just like you." Kat snapped suddenly.

"Yeah, Asshole." Klaus agreed, turning to confront the man.

All of the vet in the bar stood up and started approaching them, causing Kat to tense up even more. She could feel a new level of raw energy rising in her. She let go of Diego and stood beside him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey. Slow down, Marine. All right? My brother's just had a few too many. Let's just call it a day, all go our own way." Diego said, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Sure thing." the vet said.

Diego's shoulders relaxed. "Thank you. Kat, Klaus-"

"As long as you apologize."

Klaus giggled and Kat rolled her eyes. Her body was buzzing, and with all the intense energy in the air, she could practically feel an oncoming fight.

"Fine. I'm sorry. He's sorry. We're all sorry. So... are we good?" Diego asked.

"I wanna hear him say it."

Kat closed her eyes and sighed. Wrong choice, big man.

"Hey, man, I'm just trying to-" Diego started.

Klaus stepped forward, interrupting him. "No, no. He's right, Diego. He's right. He's right. I'd like to apologize... that you... are depriving some village of their idiot!"

There were three moments in Kat's life where her brother's mouth had gotten her into serious trouble. First, when they were teenagers and he had said something to Reginald about her and Diego hooking up. Second, when he had dragged her to a bar on their twenty-third birthday and Klaus thought it would be appropriate to pick a fight with the biggest guys there. This was the third time, and she could already tell that it would by far be the worst.

The marine took a swing at Klaus, who dodged it then headbutt the man. The fight broke out almost instantly, and the boys were neck deep in vets who had joined in to fight alongside their friends. Kat stumbled back to lean against the wall, her body suddenly feeling as though it was going to explode. She looked up at the cluster of people surrounding Klaus and Diego and started to breathe erratically. Something was happening, and she wasn't sure if it was going to turn out well for anyone- including herself.

"Guys, get the fuck down!" she yelled. Diego and Klaus didn't question her order, they just dropped. Everyone else, however, looked at her with very angry expressions.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" a bigh man in a flannel shirt demanded.

"I'm Katherine Hargreeves, bitch!" she yelled, throwing her hands out in front of her like it was the natural thing to do. As soon as she did that, a wave of energy flew from her hands and knocked everyone who was standing into the walls. She lowered her hands and looked down at them in shock. What the hell was that? Where had all that energy come from? Where did that kind of power come from? Her power had always been healing and fixing things, and only by contact.

She looked up at Diego and Klaus, who were now standing, and let out a short breath. "We need to go."


	20. Revelation

Kat, Diego, and Klaus ran to the car, their breath heaving as they slid in and closed the door. As Diego sped off, he looled in the rearview mirror at Kat, who was staring down at her hands in shock.

"What the hell was that, Kat?" He asked, still in shock.

"Yeah, what happened. Where did all that energy come from?" Klaus echoed, turning in his seat to look at her.

She looked up at them and shook her head. "I don't know. I could feel the energy in the room building up, and suddenly it was like I couldn't hold it in any longer." She explained.

Diego pulled into an alley and stopped the car, turning it off. He turned to look at Kat, his eyes full of concern. "Are you alright? "

She nod, looking into his eyes. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay. Just...confused."

He nod in understanding. He reached his hand back to hold hers tightly. "Everything is gonna be okay. We'll figure it out one step at a time."

"Hey, at least it happened at just the right time. You saved our asses in there." Klaus mused.

"Yeah, well, you're lucky I insisted we go in after you. Something told me you were gonna get yourself in trouble." Kat said, looking at her eccentric brother.

"You got a big mouth, you know that?" Diego said, looking at him with a small smirk.

"Oh, wow. What a truly shocking revelation, Diego." Klaus retorted. He pulled out a small bag of pills and began opening it.

"Everything's a big joke to you, right? Would you stop it?" Diego fussed, ripping the bag from Klaus's hands. "Why are you putting this shit in your body?"

"Check this out. Hm? My body is a temple. Kat treats her body like it's a well oiled machine. All that shit you do, it's just weakness." Diego informed him.

"Oh, wow, beautiful. Well, weakness feels so good." Klaus said, pulling out another baggie.

Kat leaned forward and smacked it out of his hands, wrestling with him. "What's goin' on with you? Huh? Tell me what happened when you were gone." She fussed.

"Don't hit me, Katherine!" He yelled.

"Don't tell me everything is all right, because I saw you in there. You were crying! You never cry unless it's something serious, so spill it Klaus." She said, her voice softening with each sentence.

"Because I lost someone!" He finally caved. "I lost someone. The only...The only person I've ever truly loved more than you and myself. Cheers." He said before leaning down to pick up the baggie, swallowing the contents of it.

"Well, you're luckier than most. When you lose someone, at least you can...see them whenever you want." Diego reasoned, his voice quiet and sad.

His mind flashed to seeing Kat covered in blood on the hotel floor. What would he have done if he had lost her? He never would have seen her again. Never would have held her in his arms and told her how much he loved her again. He would have never gotten the chance to give her the ring he had kept tucked in the pocket on his harness for the past two years. He looked back at her in the mirror to see her emerald eyes sparkling with tears. He knew that he had to step up soon. If they couldn't stop the apocalypse, he would make damn sure they went out with her knowing just how much she meant to him.

Through the mirror, he saw a man exit Griddy's donuts sat up straighter. "That's our man."

"Hey, I know that guy." Klaus said.

Kat's eyebrows scrunched as she looked back to see Hazel walking towards his car.

"How could you possibly know that--" Diego started.

"That's him. He and a really angry lady named Cha-Cha tortured us. They're the ones who almost killed us." Kat said, her face pale as she shrank into her seat.

Diego clenched his jaw and started the engine. "We gotta get this guy."

It only took a few minutes for them to follow Hazel to a hotel and park their car somewhere poorly hidden.

Kat was fidgeting in her seat, obviously nervous to be tailing the man who had such a huge hand in her most recent trauma.

"You do know that killing these people isn't gonna make you feel any better." She said quietly, looking at Diego through the rearview mirror.

"Yeah, but when it's done...I'm gonna sleep like a baby. They can't just hurt you and get away with it. They have to pay for what they did." He said. For Patch. For Klaus. For her. For the way she flinched away when he moved too fast, and the sparkle that had dulled from her eyes. For the undoubted years of nightmares she was going to have and everything else they had taken from her.

"Sure you will." Klaus sighed.

"Stay in the car." Diego instructed.

"What are you talkin' about? This guy tortured us." Klaus said, pointing between himself and Kat.

"I have a plan." Diego assured him before getting out of the car.

Klaus turned in his seat and looked at Kat, then scoffed in disbelief. "Stay in the damn car? What are we, sidekicks?"

"We're not staying in the car, are we?" She asked, knowing what his answer was going to be.

"And miss all the action? Hell no we're not staying in the car!" He said, getting out of the vehicle.

"I was afraid he might say that." She said to herself, sighing as she quickly got out and followed behind him.

They quickly and quietly made their way up the stairs to where Diego stood, lurking.

"So, what exactly is the plan here, big guy?" Klaus asked.

"I told you to wait in the car." Diego huffed.

"Yeah, but you also told me that licking a nine-volt battery would give me pubes."

"We were eight."

"Yeah, well, we were seventeen when you told me that if I figured out how many licks it took to get to the center of a tootsie pop, it would make me better at giving-"

"Point taken, Kit-Kat." Diego cut her off with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

Klaus used the brief distraction to try to walk towards the hotel room door, but Diego caught him before he could get far. "Uh-uh, uh-uh..."

"What? Come on." Klaus whined.

"For once, I need you to listen to me, okay? Now, go back to the car. If I don't come out in two minutes, that means I'm probably dead."

Kat whipped her head to look at him, her eyes wide and her jaw slightly dropped. She grabbed his arm and took a sharp breath.

He walked with them down a flight of stairs, holding onto her hand. "I'll be ok, I promise. But if that happens, go get help. Okay?"

Kat sighed, but nod her head. "Okay."

Diego walked back up to the room that was his target, while Klaus and Kat exchanged a look as they stood at the bottom of the steps. There was a loud crash of a door being kicked in, but no noise after that.

"It's a trap!" Kat realized, looking at Klaus in shock. She shot up the stairs with lightning speed.

"Wait up, Admiral Ackbar!" Klaus said, running up after her.

The sound of tires screeching filled the air, quickly followed by gun fire. Diego yelled as a bullet hit his arm. Katherine quickly pulled him out of the way, held him between herself and Klaus. Gunfire riddled the walls at the car passed them by, and Kat buried her head in Diego's chest. He placed a gentle hand on the back of her head and made sure she wasn't in danger of being shot. As soon as the hail of bullets ceased, Klaus broke the tension.

"Oh, man. See? You used to think I was an idiot."

"I still think you're an idiot. You okay, doll?" He asked, looking down at Kat.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll live." She said.

He wasn't sure he believed her as he looked her over and saw the nervous glint in her eyes and how pale her skin was. However, he figured that now was not the time to discuss it. The sound of a car speeding away der his attention, and he turned, pulling her with him as he practically floated down the steps.

"They're getting away." He exclaimed.

"You're welcome!" Klaus called, following the pair down the steps.


End file.
